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.

See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

In the terminal stage, about 80 percent of dementia patients experience dysphagia, which is the inability to swallow. —Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 16 Nov. 2023

But could the notion that life sucks be a starting point for discovery rather than a terminal epiphany? —Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2023

The current terminal interface can cause an unnatural interaction between technology and people. —John Jarosz, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023

Colombo port also has a terminal run by China Merchants Port Holdings. —Bharatha Mallawarachi, Fortune, 8 Nov. 2023

Dotson heard about its work as Angell and others were doing street outreach near the terminal and building partnerships with security officers. —Courtland Milloy, Washington Post, 7 Nov. 2023

To test this, the scientists experimented on eight larynges that had been removed from domestic cats (all had been humanely euthanized when diagnosed with terminal illnesses). —Jorge Garay, WIRED, 31 Oct. 2023

This piece of terminal tackle provides three tie-in points: One for the main line running to your surf fishing reel. —Joe Cermele, Field & Stream, 26 Oct. 2023

This encounter was the first in-flight test of the spacecraft’s terminal tracking system. —Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 2 Nov. 2023

Noun

The railway wants to do a concourse modernization project to add more seating, increase signage in the terminal, and improve infrastructure. —The Editorial Board, WSJ, 26 Nov. 2023

Tesla investor Sawyer Merritt, who posted about the new terminal Friday morning, shared the quick start video for it. —Wes Davis, The Verge, 20 Nov. 2023

With dedicated lanes at more than 50 airports nationwide, Clear can help frequent road warriors save time at busy terminals, which can be a game-changer during busy travel periods like the upcoming holiday season. —Stella Shon, Travel + Leisure, 20 Nov. 2023

Last year, the terminal, Haiti’s largest, was closed over nearly seven weeks due to a gang blockade. —Evens Sanon and Emmanuel Igunza, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 Nov. 2023

Together, the records show when products left a particular terminal, who owned the goods, which vessels they were shipped on and where they were unloaded. —Jonathan O'Connell, Washington Post, 14 Nov. 2023

Earlier, the account noted that travelers could face limited access and emergency personnel at the terminal because of the protest activity. —NBC News, 11 Nov. 2023

Safety vests left behind by Yellow workers at a terminal after the trucking company shut down over the summer. —Paul Berger, WSJ, 8 Nov. 2023

At an airport terminal, Molly points out a couple sharing hand sanitizer. —Jp Mangalindan, Peoplemag, 8 Nov. 2023

See More

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

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

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

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