# toothpaste is out of the tube

> English word · Phrase

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

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

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/toothpaste-is-out-of-the-tube