terms of service

plural noun

: the legal terms (see term entry 1 sense 4) that set forth the nature, scope, and limits of a service (such as one offered through a website or an app) and the rules that the service's users must agree to follow
… Twitter users' complaints alerted the company that three of his messages violated the terms of serviceJake Tapper
… most people have no idea what is signed away when they click "agree" to binding terms of service contracts—again and again on phones, laptops, tablets, watches, e-readers and televisions.The New York Times
abbreviation TOS

Examples of terms of service in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Other considerations include aligning the online licensing agreement and terms of service so that there isn’t any wording that leans toward professional-stating claims. Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025 According to Calo, the court order doesn't technically violate OpenAI's terms of service, which say the company must retain data to comply with legal orders. Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 16 Aug. 2025 Drone delivery availability is based on a customer’s delivery address, local weather conditions (although drones can make deliveries in the rain), feasibility (is there a landing place for the package?), and each drone delivery vendor’s terms of service. Steve Banker, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025 OpenAI was informed that its access was cut off due to violating the terms of service. Kylie Robison, Wired News, 1 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for terms of service

Word History

First Known Use

1994, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of terms of service was in 1994

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Cite this Entry

“Terms of service.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/terms%20of%20service. Accessed 27 Aug. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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