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ter·mi·nal | \ ˈtərm-nəl 
, ˈtər-mə-nᵊl \
, ˈtər-mə-nᵊl \Definition of terminal
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a(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
2a : 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
3a : 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
terminal
nounDefinition of terminal (Entry 2 of 2)
1a : 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
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Synonyms & Antonyms for terminal
Synonyms: Adjective
- bottommost,
- closing,
- concluding,
- final,
- hindmost,
- lag,
- last,
- latest,
- latter,
- rearmost,
- terminating,
- ultimate
Antonyms: Adjective
- beginning,
- earliest,
- first,
- foremost,
- headmost,
- inaugural,
- initial,
- leadoff,
- maiden,
- opening,
- original,
- pioneer,
- primary,
- starting
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.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective Their story of love amid terminal cancer touched a nation.
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Dana Hunsinger Benbow, The Indianapolis Star, "Tim Tebow prays with Chase and Sadie: 'Your faith and attitude inspires me'," 23 June 2020 Some areas that may be subject to change include medical care, screening and testing, terminal protocol for arrival and departure, sanitization, boarding and disembarkation, onboard experiences and more.
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Morgan Hines, USA TODAY, "'We are going to be patient': Carnival plans phased return to cruising amid coronavirus pandemic," 19 June 2020 In the film, Eliza Scanlen stars as Milla, a teenage girl with a terminal illness, who begins to fall for Moses (Toby Wallace), who besides being older is also a drug addict and petty criminal.
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Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, "Indie Focus: Celebrate with ‘Miss Juneteenth’," 19 June 2020 The screenplay, by Rita Kalnejais, isn't immune to some familiar movie-of-the-week tropes, especially ones surrounding teenagers and terminal illness.
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Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, "Australian indie Babyteeth breathes life into terminal illness and teen romance: Review," 17 June 2020 At the terminal door, a thermal scanner monitors the temperature of everyone arriving.
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Melissa Yeager, azcentral, "Is it safe to fly yet? 2 Arizona scientists assess coronavirus risks, suggest precautions," 15 June 2020 United teamed up with Clorox as part of its program, United CleanPlus, pledging to use Clorox products at the gate and in terminal areas at the airline’s hub airports.
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Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, "Alaska Airlines, United Requiring Passengers to Disclose Health Status Before Flying," 11 June 2020 The massive new terminal measures 850,000 square feet, spans four stories, and serves four airlines: American, United, Southwest, and Air Canada.
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Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, "What It's Like Inside LaGuardia's New Terminal Building," 11 June 2020 San Francisco International Airport is postponing by at least six months a $1 billion terminal renovation formerly slated to start in June.
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Mike Cherney, WSJ, "Coronavirus Downdraft Has Airports Scaling Back Renovation Plans," 8 June 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Things left on a plane or at the gate are in the custody of the airline, and items left at Transportation Security Administration checkpoints or elsewhere in a terminal are handled by the airport.
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Nataly Keomoungkhoun, Dallas News, "What happens to unclaimed items found at DFW or Love Field airports? Curious Texas investigates," 19 June 2020 This terminal at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is named for Ragsdale, a civil rights activist, businessman and pilot.
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Weldon B. Johnson, azcentral, "Phoenix's African American history: 10 significant landmarks and the stories behind them," 18 June 2020 Izidor gazed around the terminal with satisfaction.
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Melissa Fay Greene, The Atlantic, "Can an Unloved Child Learn to Love?," 18 June 2020 The hotel was once an airport terminal, designed by Eero Saarinen in the 1960s, but was decommissioned in 2001.
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Eamon Barrett, Fortune, "“You are never stuck”: How to find job satisfaction in an age of upheaval," 16 June 2020 Yet another Texas terminal is preparing to export oil, even as the pandemic continues to hammer global demand for U.S. crude.
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Sheela Tobben, Bloomberg.com, "Texas Oil-Export Terminals Start Up Even as Shipments Tumble," 15 June 2020 The switch that turns on the time machine's electronics is made from the same battery-terminal brush that the movie car had.
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Talon Homer, Car and Driver, "The Cars Are the Stars: The Art of Replicating Hollywood's Famous Rides," 14 June 2020 American Airlines and United Airlines both began utilizing the new terminal's Arrivals and Departures Hall this weekend.
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Gary Dinges, USA TODAY, "American, United move into LaGuardia Airport's new Terminal B," 14 June 2020 The terminal, which will open on Saturday even as COVID-19 continues to impact air travel, will be used for American Airlines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and Air Canada, according to Cuomo’s office.
—
Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, "LaGuardia Airport’s Newly Renovated Terminal Will Open to Travelers This Weekend," 11 June 2020
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'terminal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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Learn More about terminal
From the Editors at Merriam-Webster
The Mythical Origins of 'Terminator'
The Mythical Origins of 'Terminator'
How an ancient stone led to a word for endings
Dictionary Entries near terminal
See More Nearby EntriesStatistics for terminal
Last Updated
26 Jun 2020
Look-up Popularity
Cite this Entry
“Terminal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/terminal. Accessed 2 Jul. 2020.
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More Definitions for terminal
terminal
adjectiveEnglish Language Learners Definition of terminal
(Entry 1 of 2)
: causing death eventually : leading finally to death
: having an illness that cannot be cured and that will soon lead to death
: of or relating to patients who have a terminal illness
terminal
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of terminal (Entry 2 of 2)
: a building where buses or trains regularly stop so that passengers can get on and off
: a building at an airport where people get on and off airplanes
: a computer or a combination of a keyboard and a video display that is connected to a system and used for entering or receiving data
See the full definition for terminal in the English Language Learners Dictionary
terminal
adjectiveter·mi·nal | \ ˈtər-mə-nᵊl \
\Kids Definition of terminal
(Entry 1 of 2)
: relating to or forming an end
branches with terminal buds
terminal
nounKids Definition of terminal (Entry 2 of 2)
1 : either end of a transportation line or a passenger or freight station located at it
the bus terminal
2 : a device (as in a computer system) used to put in, receive, and display information
He typed his request into the terminal.
3 : a device at the end of a wire or on a machine for making an electrical connection
terminal
adjectiveter·mi·nal | \ ˈtərm-nəl, -ən-ᵊl \
\Medical Definition of terminal
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : of, relating to, or being at an end, extremity, boundary, or terminus the terminal phalanx of a finger
2a : 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
Other Words from terminal
terminally \ -ē \ adverb
\ adverbterminal
nounMedical Definition of terminal (Entry 2 of 2)
: a part that forms an end especially : nerve ending synthesis of a neurotransmitter in the presynaptic terminal of a neuron — R. J. Wurtman
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Time Traveler for terminal
The first known use of terminal was in the 15th century
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