toothpaste is out of the tube

phrase

A situation that cannot be recovered or reversed back to its original state.

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Meanings

phrasethe toothpaste is out of the tube
  1. idiomaticA situation that cannot be recovered or reversed back to its original state.

Origin

From the practical impossibility of getting toothpaste back into a tube once it is squirted out.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

toothpaste is out of the tube. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/toothpaste%20is%20out%20of%20the%20tube

MLA

“toothpaste is out of the tube.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/toothpaste%20is%20out%20of%20the%20tube. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “toothpaste is out of the tube,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/toothpaste%20is%20out%20of%20the%20tube.

Source: toothpaste is out of the tube on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.