terminator

noun

ter·​mi·​na·​tor ˈtər-mə-ˌnā-tər 

1

: the dividing line between the illuminated and the unilluminated part of the moon's or a planet's disk

2

: one that terminates

Examples of terminator in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Kaepernick was a read-option terminator out of the pistol formation. — Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026

In response, the AI starts a nuclear war and deploys its robots—the terminators—to eliminate the human race. — Emelia S. Probasco, Foreign Affairs, 20 Aug. 2026

Knight, who was bleeding from the mouth, mocked Omega’s terminator taunt. — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026

This orbital plane follows the terminator line — the boundary between day and night — and takes the satellites over the planet's north and south poles. — Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 20 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1652, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for terminator

• activator
• actuator
• agitator
• alligator
• allocator
• alternator
• animator
• annotator
• applicator
• arbitrator
• aspirator
• aviator