terminal

1 of 2

adjective

ter·​mi·​nal ˈtərm-nəl 

ˈtər-mə-nᵊl

1

a(1)

: leading ultimately to death : fatal

terminal cancer

(2)

: approaching or close to death : being in the final stages of a fatal disease

a terminal patient

(3)

: of or relating to patients with a terminal illness

terminal care

b

: of, relating to, or occurring in a term or each term

terminal payments

c

: extremely or hopelessly severe

terminal boredom

2

a

: of or relating to an end, extremity, boundary, or terminus

a terminal pillar

b

: growing at the end of a branch or stem

a terminal bud

3

a

: occurring at or constituting the end of a period or series : concluding

the terminal moments of life

b

: not intended as preparation for further academic work

a terminal curriculum

terminally adverb

terminal

2 of 2

noun

1

a

: either end of a carrier line having facilities for the handling of freight and passengers

b

: a freight or passenger station that is central to a considerable area or serves as a junction at any point with other lines

c

: a town or city at the end of a carrier line : terminus

2

: a combination of a keyboard and output device (such as a video display unit) by which data can be entered into or output from a computer or electronic communications system

3

: a device attached to the end of a wire or cable or to an electrical apparatus for convenience in making connections

4

: a part that forms the end : extremity, termination

5

: a terminating usually ornamental detail : finial

Synonyms

Adjective

• bottommost
• closing
• concluding
• final
• hindmost
• lag
• last
• latest
• latter
• rearmost
• terminating
• ultimate

Choose the Right Synonym for terminal

last, final, terminal, ultimate mean following all others (as in time, order, or importance).

last applies to something that comes at the end of a series but does not always imply that the series is completed or stopped.

last page of a book

last news we had of him

final applies to that which definitely closes a series, process, or progress.

final day of school

terminal may indicate a limit of extension, growth, or development.

terminal phase of a disease

ultimate implies the last degree or stage of a long process beyond which further progress or change is impossible.

the ultimate collapse of the system

Examples of terminal in a Sentence

Adjective

She was diagnosed with terminal cancer.

I was suffering from terminal boredom.

another person with terminal stupidity

branches that end in a terminal bud

Noun

I will meet you outside the bus terminal.

Flight 1584 is now departing from Gate 6 in Terminal A.

You are not allowed in the terminal without a ticket.

Ten terminals are connected to this server.

You will need to clean the corrosion off the battery terminals.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

One of his most personal shows to date centers around his late father, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer around 2010. —Emily Weaver, Peoplemag, 30 Mar. 2024

The new terminal building is expected to be operational by May 2024, with the full facility up and running by the end of November. —Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Mar. 2024

Here’s what to know about the terminal trains: What is the Skytrain? —Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 29 Mar. 2024

Kin + Carta’s bot can create longer product descriptions at a faster rate than human writers, and doesn’t succumb to terminal boredom while doing so. —Byryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 27 Mar. 2024

The discretionary awards are on top of nearly $2 billion in similar awards made over the past two years under the law’s Airport Terminal Program, a $5 billion fund for competitive grants to support terminal upgrades. —Harriet Baskas, NBC News, 24 Mar. 2024

This could also be when terminal patients get serious about planning for funerals and memorials, as well as seeing to their other affairs, both emotional and material. —Stephen C. George, Discover Magazine, 13 Mar. 2024

After earlier approving Tagami’s ground lease at the terminal site, Oakland officials attempted to ban the shipment and storage of coal in 2016, leading to a series of costly lawsuits in which the developer has largely emerged victorious. —Shomik Mukherjee, The Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2024

Then in 2020, Saturday Night Live spent more than eight minutes mocking the airport in a musical extravaganza, calling out birds in the terminal, non-working electrical outlets, and shoddy baggage handling. —Rachel Chang, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Mar. 2024

Noun

In exchange for allowing more launches, SpaceX has proposed placing internet terminals at Jalama Beach, which could help manage reservations and notify visitors when an evacuation could occur. —Salvador Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024

First, at a private terminal at a commercial airport such as LCY, the handling agent will escort you from the plane and whisk you away from the hordes of hoi polloi. —Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 11 Apr. 2024

In a store, call up Apple Pay or Google Pay on your smartphone and tap it against the payment terminal. —Ayesha Rascoe, NPR, 7 Apr. 2024

The Port of Oakland’s plan to change the Oakland Airport’s name to attract more incoming passengers is short-sighted and reflects the same flawed thinking underlying its proposal to increase the number of gates by 55% and build a new terminal. —Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 5 Apr. 2024

No one was injured, but passengers had to use emergency stairs and were bussed to terminals. —Mateo Rosiles, USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024

The Texas airport — one of the busiest in the world — boasts more than 170 different gates across five different terminals. —Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 31 Mar. 2024

Dali makes a u-turn away from the terminal and approaches a pair of navigation buoys marking the channel. —Ramon Padilla, USA TODAY, 30 Mar. 2024

The main terminal, set to fully open in 2025, is built with five small terminals able to operate independently as demand dictates, reducing energy use. —Kathleen Turner, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Latin terminalis, from terminus

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3a

Noun

1838, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Phrases Containing terminal

• in terminal decline
• inter-terminal
• terminal leave
• terminal side

Kids Definition

terminal

1 of 2 adjective

ter·​mi·​nal ˈtərm-nəl 

-ən-ᵊl

1

a

: of, relating to, or forming an end

a terminal pillar of a temple

b

: growing at the end of a branch or stem

a terminal bud

2

a

: of, relating to, or occurring in a term or each term

make terminal payments on a car

b

: leading finally to death

a terminal illness

3

: occurring at or being the end of a period or series

terminally

-ē

adverb

terminal

2 of 2 noun

1

: a part that forms the end

2

: a device attached to the end of a wire or cable or to electrical equipment for making connections

3

a

: either end of a transportation line (as a railroad or shipping line) with its offices and freight and passenger stations

b

: a freight or passenger station that serves a large area or acts as a junction between lines

a bus terminal

c

: a town at the end of a transportation line

4

: a device (as in a computer system) used for data entry and display

Medical Definition

terminal

1 of 2 adjective

ter·​mi·​nal ˈtərm-nəl, -ən-ᵊl 

1

: of, relating to, or being at an end, extremity, boundary, or terminus

the terminal phalanx of a finger

2

a

: leading ultimately to death : fatal

terminal cancer

b

: approaching or close to death : being in the final stages of a fatal disease

a terminal patient

c

: of or relating to patients with a terminal illness

terminal care

3

: being at or near the end of a chain of atoms making up a molecule

the terminal carbon

terminally

-ē 

adverb

terminal

2 of 2 noun

: a part that forms an end

especially : nerve ending

synthesis of a neurotransmitter in the presynaptic terminal of a neuron

—R. J. Wurtman