as in closing
following all others of the same kind in order or time
the terminating speech of the political convention turned out to be the most inspiring
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in ending
to bring (an event) to a natural or appropriate stopping point
we need to terminate the discussion for this evening, but we'll resume tomorrow morning
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stopping
to come to an end
this class will terminate with the arrival of Memorial Day
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in defining
to mark the limits of
terminated the area set aside for the runners to change their clothes with a series of folding screens
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in murdering
to put to death deliberately
the operative's covert mission was to terminate the leader of the opposition
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in removing
to let go from office, service, or employment
he was terminated for constantly coming in to work late
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of terminating
Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 May 2026
Users of those services can also worry a bit less about the service provider aggressively terminating accounts.
—ArsTechnica, 11 May 2026
Indefinitely suspending a grant was the same as terminating it, Lin said in a ruling requiring the agency to reinstate the funds.
—Felicia Mello, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2026
The utility proposes a route that runs north from the Imperial Valley substation, moving laterally through a chunk of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, heading up into Riverside County near Temecula and then terminating outside of Camp Pendleton.
—Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Apr. 2026
Her suit accuses the company of violating the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, intentionally inflicting emotional distress, and wrongfully terminating her.
—Irin Carmon, Vulture, 22 Apr. 2026
Numerous reports found that DOGE vastly inflated its claims of cost savings and may actually have forced the federal government to spend more money while terminating thousands of federal employees.
—Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune, 19 Apr. 2026
William DeForte, chief of the regional police force, said the department was already in the process of terminating Ferree's employment.
—Jennifer Borrasso, CBS News, 16 Apr. 2026
After confronting Ryan, terminating his contract and telling him to leave her life, she was mortified when Ryan contacted her daughter, who was 21 at the time, via social media.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 16 Apr. 2026
Verb
During public comment at the meeting, a speaker who identified herself as a graduate from Fort Worth ISD’s Northside High School voiced her confusion and objection about cutting the board policy and called for transparency in what criteria the district would use when terminating an employee.
—Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 May 2026
Users of those services can also worry a bit less about the service provider aggressively terminating accounts.
—ArsTechnica, 11 May 2026
Indefinitely suspending a grant was the same as terminating it, Lin said in a ruling requiring the agency to reinstate the funds.
—Felicia Mello, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2026
The utility proposes a route that runs north from the Imperial Valley substation, moving laterally through a chunk of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, heading up into Riverside County near Temecula and then terminating outside of Camp Pendleton.
—Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Apr. 2026
Her suit accuses the company of violating the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, intentionally inflicting emotional distress, and wrongfully terminating her.
—Irin Carmon, Vulture, 22 Apr. 2026
Numerous reports found that DOGE vastly inflated its claims of cost savings and may actually have forced the federal government to spend more money while terminating thousands of federal employees.
—Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune, 19 Apr. 2026
William DeForte, chief of the regional police force, said the department was already in the process of terminating Ferree's employment.
—Jennifer Borrasso, CBS News, 16 Apr. 2026
After confronting Ryan, terminating his contract and telling him to leave her life, she was mortified when Ryan contacted her daughter, who was 21 at the time, via social media.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 16 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terminating
Adjective
-
Other alternatives such as offering a seller credit to cover potential post-closing assessments or adjusting the purchase price to reflect the risks of such costs are also being employed.—
Michael L. Hyman,
Miami Herald,
29 Dec. 2025
-
Fubo and Hulu + Live TV will continue to be available to consumers under distinct brands post-closing, with Hulu continuing to be available in the larger Disney bundle.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In all, the 39 Broadway productions (one fewer than the previous week due to Book of Mormon) grossed $38,297,488 for the week ending May 10, a drop of 3% from the previous week and down about 11% from last year at this time.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
12 May 2026
-
The Lakers plan to hire two assistant general managers, Rob Pelinka, the team’s president of basketball operations and general manager, said in a season-ending news conference Tuesday after the Lakers were swept out of the Western Conference semifinals by the Oklahoma City Thunder.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
Higher gas prices and airfare aren't stopping 45 million Americans from traveling for Memorial Day weekend in 2026, according to AAA's new forecast.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
13 May 2026
-
There’s been no stopping Garcia in his last two starts.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
The slice in your hand has a city of origin, a specific oven, a defining cheese and usually a stubborn local who will tell you everyone else is doing it wrong.—
Lauren Schuster,
Miami Herald,
13 May 2026
-
Maika Monroe may have starred in multiple defining horror films of the last 10-plus years, from her breakout in It Follows to the recent box-office smash Longlegs, but no amount of scream-queen credits could prepare her for the gory terror of Victorian Psycho.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
The story follows a respected college basketball coach who is accused of murdering his mistress.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
12 May 2026
-
Smith was convicted and sentenced to life for murdering her sons.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
Allow these to regrow and form new plants after removing all the dead.—
Tom MacCubbin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
10 May 2026
-
On Saturday, that included removing Jake LaRavia from the rotation entirely as rookie forward Adou Thiero became the Lakers’ third player off the bench and veteran big man Maxi Kleber moved into the rotation as the ninth option.—
Benjamin Royer,
Oc Register,
10 May 2026
Adjective
-
As the Timberwolves desperately searched for an equalizer in the final five minutes, Notre Dame goaltender Kendra DeLawter stood tall in net, robbing two point-blank attempts to preserve the lead for the Cougars.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
9 May 2026
-
Leading 4-1 in the fourth, the Falcons had runners on first and second with one out and a chance to extend the lead, but Bram Schwartz came out of the bullpen to get the final two outs, and then pitch a scoreless fifth.—
John Maffei,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
Federal judges allowed all five to resume construction, essentially concluding that the government didn’t show that the national security risk was so imminent that construction must halt.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 May 2026
-
The trek kicks off in September in Detroit before concluding in Atlanta.—
Kiana Mickles,
Pitchfork,
11 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Terminating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terminating. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
