term

noun

\ ˈtərm

Definition of term

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : a word or expression that has a precise meaning in some uses or is peculiar to a science, art, profession, or subject legal terms

b terms plural : expression of a specified kind described in glowing terms

2a : a limited or definite extent of time especially : the time for which something lasts : duration, tenure term of office lost money in the short term

b : the whole period for which an estate is granted also : the estate or interest held by one for a term

c : the time during which a court is in session

3 : division in a school year during which instruction is regularly given to students

4 terms plural : provisions that determine the nature and scope of an agreement : conditions terms of sale liberal credit terms

5 terms plural

a : mutual relationship : footing on good terms

b : agreement, concord come to terms after extensive negotiations

c : a state of acceptance or understanding came to terms with the failure of his marriage

6a : the time at which a pregnancy of normal length terminates had her baby at full term

b : end, termination also : a point in time assigned to something (such as a payment)

7a : a unitary or compound expression connected with another by a plus or minus sign

b : an element of a fraction or proportion or of a series or sequence

8 : any of the three substantive elements of a syllogism

9 : a quadrangular pillar often tapering downward and adorned on the top with the figure of a head or the upper part of the body

in terms of

: with respect to or in relation to thinks of everything in terms of money

on one's own terms

: in accordance with one's wishes : in one's own way prefers to live on his own terms

term

verb

termed; terming; terms

Definition of term (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to apply a term to : call, name

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about term

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Examples of term in a Sentence

Noun

“I had the feeling that I had been there before.” “The term for that is ‘déjà vu.’” That's an outdated term that no one uses anymore. He spoke about them in glowing terms. The law had been understood in broad terms. The governor will run for a second term. He is currently serving his third term in the U.S. Senate. He was sentenced to a ten-year term in the state penitentiary. The term of the contract is 60 months. His grades have improved since last term. English 122 is not offered this term.

Verb

They termed the structure a “double helix.” The project was termed a success.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

In terms of celebrity couples, John Legend and Chrissy Teigen are some of the most active on social media. — Christian Allaire, Vogue, "John Legend Proves He’s an Expert Instagram Husband," 5 Jan. 2019 Kendra Horn: Oklahoma is 49th in the nation in terms of women serving in elected office. — Rebecca Nelson, Marie Claire, "2019's Barrier-Breaking Politicians Get to Work," 3 Jan. 2019 Like many of the survey respondents highlighted, gender-neutral clothing is often thought about in terms of style but part of the problem is that all clothing is just clothing except there are sizing issues with who can fit into clothing. — Alyssa Hardy, Teen Vogue, "Why Does Gender Neutral Clothing Translate to “Boys” Clothing?," 21 Dec. 2018 Attempting to do so is pretty much on par with reading tea-leaves in terms of accuracy. — Jennifer Wright, Harper's BAZAAR, "What Will Actually Happen to Trump?," 19 Dec. 2018 Interpreting this evidence requires a model, and the models for quark interactions are a bit insane in terms of difficulty, leaving things open to multiple explanations. — Chris Lee, Ars Technica, "Quark-gluon plasma reveals viscosity-free properties," 19 Dec. 2018 What have been the standout items and labels for you this year, in terms of those which made a connection with your customers? — Mark Holgate, Vogue, "What Sold for Men in 2018: Tailoring’s Back, Pants Are the New Sneakers, and the Logo Is Still Big (for Now)," 18 Dec. 2018 The biggest impact Meghan's pregnancy has had on the tour is in terms of timing. — Kayleigh Roberts, Marie Claire, "Everything You Need to Know About Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's U.S. Tour," 17 Dec. 2018 The slate of speakers Tuesday reflects a balancing act for Perez, both in terms of the party’s internal identity struggles and in educating donors about the nuts and bolts of how the DNC fits into the left’s overall campaign effort. — Bill Barrow, The Seattle Times, "Top Democratic donors hear from rising stars ahead of 2020," 12 Dec. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The researchers termed the resulting software AI Clinician. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, "AIs trained to help with sepsis treatment, fracture diagnosis," 27 Oct. 2018 Scott, a Republican and former businessman who is termed out of office this year, filed his annual financial disclosure form Friday. — Mary Ellen Klas, miamiherald, "Florida Gov. Rick Scott's net worth climbs $83 million in 2017," 29 June 2018 There are four types of influenza viruses, creatively termed A, B, C, and D. Influenzas A and B are responsible for seasonal epidemics in humans, and influenza A is the one that causes pandemics. — Diana Gitig, Ars Technica, "Llama “nanobodies” might grant universal flu protection," 5 Nov. 2018 Finally, someone with symptoms of bipolar disorder that don’t fit neatly into the above buckets can have what is termed Other Specified and Unspecified Bipolar and Related Disorders, the NIMH explains. 7. — Carolyn L. Todd, SELF, "14 Facts About Bipolar Disorder That Everyone Should Know," 27 Sep. 2018 They would be termed innumerate — unskilled at working with numbers. — Sandy Bauers, Philly.com, "Fear of math is harmful to your health. This woman wants to help.," 29 June 2018 Biohacking is termed as a do-it-yourself movement in biology, medicine and genetics. — William Thornton, AL.com, "Biohacker CEO Aaron Traywick, Montevallo grad, found dead," 1 May 2018 Marve’s second suspension came at the end of the season when he was held out of the Emerald Bowl for what then-UM coach Randy Shannon termed a violation of team rules. — Christy Cabrera Chirinos, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Report: Ex-UM quarterback Robert Marve facing sexual assault, battery allegations," 12 July 2018 Trauss is campaigning to replace termed-out District Six Supervisor Jane Kim in November. — Trisha Thadani, SFChronicle.com, "SF District Six candidate Sonja Trauss misses matching funds deadline," 2 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'term.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near term

Statistics for term

Last Updated

8 Jan 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for term

The first known use of term was in the 13th century

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More Definitions for term

term

noun

Financial Definition of term

What It Is

In the finance world, a term is the length of time until a debt matures. A term can also be a condition of a deal, as evidenced by the phrase term sheet, which describes the terms of a deal.

How It Works

Let's say Company XYZ wants to borrow $1 million to build a factory. It meets with its bank, ABC Bank, to negotiate the loan. The company and the bank agree to a 10-year loan with quarterly payments and a 7% interest rate. In this case, the term is 10 years.

Why It Matters

The longer the term of a piece of debt, the lower the payments usually are. However, the interest rate may be higher due to the lender's increased risk exposure.

In the second instance, when two companies are negotiating a deal and are working through a term sheet, one term may have more influence over the deal than another and thus may create significant sticking points.

Source: Investing Answers

term

noun

English Language Learners Definition of term

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a word or phrase that has an exact meaning

terms : the particular kinds of words used to describe someone or something

: the length of time during which a person has an official or political office

term

verb

English Language Learners Definition of term (Entry 2 of 2)

: to give a particular name or description to (something) : to call (something) by a particular name or to describe (something) in a particular way

See the full definition for term in the English Language Learners Dictionary

term

noun

\ ˈtərm

Kids Definition of term

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a word or expression that has an exact meaning in some uses or is limited to a subject or field legal terms

2 : a period of time fixed especially by law or custom a school term

3 terms plural : conditions that limit the nature and scope of something (as a treaty or a will) the terms of a contract

4 terms plural : relationship between people I'm on good terms with the neighbors.

5 : any one of the numbers in a series

6 : the numerator or denominator of a fraction

term

verb

termed; terming

Kids Definition of term (Entry 2 of 2)

: to call by a particular name “… it pleases him to be termed Emperor rather than King.”— L. Frank Baum, The Marvelous Land of Oz

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term

noun

\ ˈtərm

Medical Definition of term

(Entry 1 of 2)

: the time at which a pregnancy of normal length terminates had her baby at full term

term

adjective

Medical Definition of term (Entry 2 of 2)

: carried to, occurring at, or associated with full term a term infant term births

term

noun, often attributive

Legal Definition of term

1 : a specified period of time the policy term

2 : the whole period for which an estate is granted also : the estate itself

3a : the period in which the powers of a court may be validly exercised

b : session

4 : a word, phrase, or provision of import especially in determining the nature and scope of an agreement —usually used in pl. the terms of the contract