Synonyms of terminating

terminating 1 of 2

adjective

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

• closing
• final
• concluding
• latest
• last
• latter
• terminal
• lowest
• ultimate
• rearmost
• following
• lag
• penultimate
• succeeding
• eventual
• ensuing
• consequent
• bottommost
• crowning
• farthest
• hindmost
• lowermost
• outermost
• conclusive
• remotest
• furthest
• decisive
• definitive
• furthermost
• farthermost
• extreme
• endmost
• nethermost
• utmost
• outmost

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• initial
• beginning
• first
• starting
• opening
• original
• primary
• earliest
• pioneer
• maiden
• foremost
• headmost
• inaugural
• superior
• eminent
• leadoff
• premier

terminating

2 of 2

verb

present participle of terminate

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

• ending
• concluding
• finishing
• completing
• closing
• winding up
• wrapping up
• rounding (off or out)
• closing out
• putting paid to
• suspending
• ringing down the curtain (on)
• crowning
• climaxing
• consummating
• halting
• perfecting
• stopping

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• beginning
• starting
• commencing
• opening
• inaugurating

2

as in stopping

to come to an end

this class will terminate with the arrival of Memorial Day

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ending
• stopping
• ceasing
• halting
• concluding
• expiring
• passing
• closing
• finishing
• discontinuing
• dying
• determining
• going
• lapsing
• stalling
• elapsing
• quitting
• breaking off
• winding up
• leaving off
• winking (out)
• letting up
• dead-ending
• breaking up
• suspending
• biting the dust
• pausing
• refraining (from)
• laying off (of)
• packing (up or in)
• staying
• cutting out
• giving over
• knocking off
• desisting (from)
• breaking down
• winding down
• abating
• petering (out)
• conking (out)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• continuing
• persisting
• hanging on
• extending
• prolonging
• drawing out
• protracting

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

• defining
• limiting
• bounding
• describing
• delimiting
• demarcating
• circumscribing
• marking (off)
• governing
• controlling
• demarking
• determining
• delineating

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

• murdering
• assassinating
• executing
• slaying
• killing
• dispatching
• neutralizing
• liquidating
• getting
• destroying
• snuffing
• whacking
• slaughtering
• taking out
• doing away with
• offing
• putting away
• doing in
• shooting
• croaking
• icing
• knocking off
• eliminating
• claiming
• rubbing out
• bumping off
• eradicating
• cutting down
• zapping
• blowing away
• exterminating
• shooting down
• carrying off
• smiting
• felling
• annihilating
• butchering
• massacring
• blotting out
• mowing (down)
• wiping out

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• restoring
• raising
• reviving
• animating
• resurrecting
• resuscitating

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

• removing
• dismissing
• sacking
• firing
• retiring
• releasing
• discharging
• axing
• bouncing
• mustering out
• canning
• turning off
• cashiering
• pink-slipping
• showing (someone) the door
• separating
• trimming
• downsizing
• sending packing
• laying off
• furloughing
• excessing
• unseating
• kicking out
• drumming (out)
• booting (out)
• chucking (out)
• throwing out

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• retaining
• employing
• hiring
• engaging
• keeping
• signing (up or on)
• taking on
• contracting
• rehiring
• recruiting
• reemploying
• subcontracting

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of terminating

Verb

This year, the Tour de France Femmes starts off in Lausanne, Switzerland, before heading to Dijon and travelling down toward the Mediterranean, then terminating in Nice. — Jason Cohen, PC Magazine, 9 July 2026

Such data irregularities fit into a broader pattern of disrupting long-standing agency activities – for example, abruptly terminating grants to state and local health departments and disrupting health messaging on vaccines. — John Kubale, The Conversation, 8 July 2026

The Lakeshore Line runs east through Gary, Beverly Shores, and Michigan City before finally terminating at South Bend International Airport. — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 1 July 2026

Ground units responded, and when one driver failed to yield, officers briefly pursued the vehicle before terminating the chase because of safety concerns. — Reeti Malhotra, Sacbee.com, 30 June 2026

The agency's fiscal year 2026 and 2027 budget requests proposed terminating the Apophis flyby mission. — Briana Alvarado, ABC News, 30 June 2026

Target's new attendance point system Target will start tracking unexcused tardiness and absences for its store and warehouse workers in September, assigning point values to violations and terminating any employee who hits 12 points within a year. — Diane Brady, Fortune, 30 June 2026

Volato sold its Mission Control software to FlyExclusive before terminating a merger agreement with M2i and securing an investment from the Vision Jet operator Flyte. — Doug Gollan, Forbes.com, 27 June 2026

Last year, the administration took the unprecedented step of gutting USAID, terminating thousands of aid programs and letting funding expire, all without permission from Congress. — Anna Maria Barry-Jester, ProPublica, 22 June 2026