terminator

noun

ter·​mi·​na·​tor ˈtər-mə-ˌnā-tər 

1

: the dividing line between the illuminated and the unilluminated part of the moon's or a planet's disk

2

: one that terminates

Examples of terminator in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Rachel LaMont was an absolute puzzle terminator on Survivor 47, dominating the brain-teasers during the pre-merge stage of the game, and then winning the final hanging bat puzzle immunity contest on her way to becoming the Sole Survivor. —Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Oct. 2025

The crescent moon is a spectacular object in binoculars, with the terminator — the dividing line between day and night on the moon ‚— where to look for shadows and craters. —Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025

Turning a pair of 10x50 binoculars or a small telescope on the moon will reveal the presence of several prominent craters along the line separating night from day on the lunar surface, known as the terminator. —Anthony Wood, Space.com, 26 Aug. 2025

Along the terminator the shadows are long, revealing features that are otherwise harder to see. —Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 24 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1652, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for terminator

• activator
• actuator
• agitator
• alligator
• allocator
• alternator
• animator
• annotator
• applicator
• arbitrator
• aspirator
• aviator