Dictionary

that ship has sailed en · X

Pronunciation

• (US) audio

Meanings

1. That opportunity has already passed; it is too late to do anything about it.
   • Let me make it plain that I am not urging a return to fixed rates. That ship has sailed. The example, however, should serve to make us cautious when taking other fundamental steps in the future. That brings me to a subject of more current interest in the deregulation debate, the establishment of a national market system. 1979, Lawrence G. Goldberg, Lawrence J. White, editors, The Deregulation of the Banking and Securities Industries, Lexington Books, →ISBN, page 137:
   • It’s a comedy-drama called Three Weeks; we’re shooting this autumn and it’s my directorial debut, which is exciting. It’s about a woman coming to terms with the fact that she doesn’t want to be a mother. She’s in her 30s, realising the truth of watching that ship sail as a choice. 2023 August 13, Michael Hogan, quoting Susan Wokoma, “Actor Susan Wokoma: ‘We all want to be married to Emma Thompson, don’t we?’”, in The Observer:
   • The point is I… I don't need this right now, OK. It, it's too late, I'm with somebody else, I'm happy. This ship has sailed. 1995 November, “The One Where Ross Finds Out”, in Friends, season 2, episode 7 (television production), spoken by Ross Geller (David Schwimmer):

Forms

Relateds

there's no point crying over spilt milk · miss the boat · genie is out of the bottle · cry over spilt milk · water under the bridge · close the stable door after the horse has bolted

Synonyms

that train has left the station

Translations (21)

da det tog er kørt (that opportunity has passed) · hy գնացքը գնացել է (that opportunity has passed) · ru поздно пить боржоми (that opportunity has passed) · cmn 時不再來 /时不再来 (that opportunity has passed) · hu ez a hajó elment (már) (that opportunity has passed) · nb det løpet er kjørt (that opportunity has passed) · pt a fila anda (that opportunity has passed) · ro trece baba cu colacii (that opportunity has passed) · it hai perso il treno (that opportunity has passed) · cmn 大勢已去 /大势已去 (that opportunity has passed) · hu ez a hajó elúszott (már) (that opportunity has passed) · nb det toget er kjørt (that opportunity has passed) · fi se juna meni jo (that opportunity has passed) · pl pociąg już odjechał ze stacji (that opportunity has passed) · es ese barco ya zarpó (that opportunity has passed) · es se te fue el tren (that opportunity has passed) · nl dat is een gepasseerd station (that opportunity has passed) · de dieser Zug ist abgefahren (that opportunity has passed) · hu ez a vonat elment (már) (that opportunity has passed) · fr c'est trop tard (that opportunity has passed) · bg влакът замина (that opportunity has passed)