that ship has sailed

• that ship has already sailed

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that ship has sailed

1. (originally US) That opportunity has already passed; it is too late to do anything about it.

   Synonym: that train has left the station

   • 1979, Lawrence G. Goldberg, Lawrence J. White, editors, The Deregulation of the Banking and Securities Industries‎^[1], Lexington Books, →ISBN, page 137:

     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.

   • 1995 November, “The One Where Ross Finds Out”, in Friends, season 2, episode 7 (television production), spoken by Ross Geller (David Schwimmer):

     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.

   • 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^[2]:

     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.