termination

noun ter·mi·na·tion \ ˌtər-mə-ˈnā-shən \

Updated on: 11 Sep 2017

Definition of termination

1 :end in time or existence :conclusion

the termination of life

2 :the last part of a word; especially :an inflectional ending

3 :the act of terminating

4 :a limit in space or extent :bound

5 :outcome, result

—

terminational

play \-shnəl, -shə-nᵊl\ adjective

See termination defined for English-language learners

Examples of termination in a Sentence

The law protects against unfair contract termination.
the termination of a lease
an early termination of the contract
The company noted over 300 terminations last quarter.
Are there plans for the termination of unproductive employees?

Recent Examples of termination from the Web

The termination comes after the foundation's longtime chief financial officer, Jason Tomlinson, and its assistant secretary, Kathleen Smith, were fired in June.

— andrew wolfson, The Courier-Journal, "U of L Foundation financial consultant fired after Shelby County arrest," 10 Aug. 2017
Please note this could lead to further discipline up to and including termination.

— hannah sparling, Cincinnati.com, "Drug charges, search warrants in Goshen teacher case," 19 July 2017
The sheriff will ask the Lake County Sheriff's Police Merit Board at its July 20 meeting to stop Medrano's pay and proceed with his termination, spokesman Mark Back said Friday.

— ruth ann krause, Post-Tribune, "Veteran Lake County cop makes court appearance on rape charges," 7 July 2017
Theoretically banned since 1920, terminations took place annually in the hundreds of thousands: secretly, shamefully and dangerously.

— The Economist, "LiberatedObituary: Simone Veil died on June 30th," 5 July 2017
The governor’s signature on Senate Bill 43, for which Greitens had not publicly stated his support, will require workers who claim discrimination in wrongful-termination suits to prove that bias was the explicit reason they were fired.

— rick montgomery, kansascity, "Greitens signs bill that raises standards for fired employees to win discrimination cases," 30 June 2017
The newspaper reports Saturday that Dr. Henry Bello blamed a doctor for blocking his chances at getting a chance to practice medicine, and also blamed the hospital for his termination two years ago.

— tess koman, Cosmopolitan, "[UPDATED] Doctor Kills 1, Injures 6 in Bronx Hospital Shooting," 30 June 2017
Pregnant women who travel to England, where the law is much less restrictive, currently have to pay for terminations.

— stephen castle, New York Times, "U.K. to Fund Abortions in England for Women From Northern Ireland," 29 June 2017
Smith said the investigation likely would result in terminations.

— zak koeske, Daily Southtown, "Men used toilet access to get near victim in courthouse sex assault, officials say," 29 June 2017

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

First Known Use of termination

15th century

termination Synonyms

Synonyms

bound, boundary, cap, ceiling, confines, end, extent, limitation, line, limit

TERMINATION Defined for English Language Learners

termination

noun

Definition of termination for English Language Learners

: an act of ending something
: the act of making a person leave a job : the act of firing or dismissing someone
: an operation to end a pregnancy before the mother would have given birth