Meaning: It’s now too late to do something; an opportunity has been lost.
Examples:
I was thinking about going to the concert but that ship has sailed. It’s sold out.
He asked her to marry him but she said that ship has sailed. She met someone else.
“Do you still want to go to the beach today?” “No, that ship has sailed. It’s too late now.”
Pop Quiz:
In the idiom “that ship has sailed,” the ship represents…
A. money.
B. an opportunity.
C. the future.
The correct answer is B. The ship is an opportunity and since it has already sailed it’s too late to get on it.