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
Rachel Desantis, PEOPLE, 9 Oct. 2025
When used in combination, mifepristone and misoprostol are nearly 97% effective at terminating a pregnancy, according to a 2015 systematic review from the University of California, Davis.
—Cheyenne Haslett, ABC News, 24 Sep. 2025
Trump has notably refrained from terminating Fed Chair Jerome Powell despite months of musings.
—Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 22 Sep. 2025
Airlines also want to weaken the regulatory framework by terminating a cooperation agreement with state attorneys general on airline passenger rights and imposing a two-year statute of limitations on DOT enforcement actions.
—Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 22 Sep. 2025
The loss amounts to the department terminating almost 20 full-time officers, said Dustin Smith, president of the Sacramento Police Officers Association.
—Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 22 Sep. 2025
His council colleagues unanimously agreed for city staff to look at terminating the contract.
—Claire Wang, Oc Register, 18 Sep. 2025
If so, the employer may face more risk for not terminating that person than for firing them, because of the message a company’s response sends to other employees and the public, says Segal.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 16 Sep. 2025
The next day, the president called again and said Next Door was terminating her position, Molitor said.
—Quinn Clark, jsonline.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Verb
Day, meanwhile, wants a court declaration terminating the 40% to which Buskin is entitled of her net profits, plus BassLine’s 20% of her gross monies, as well as damages and attorneys’ fees and costs determined in a trial by jury.
—Rachel Desantis, PEOPLE, 9 Oct. 2025
When used in combination, mifepristone and misoprostol are nearly 97% effective at terminating a pregnancy, according to a 2015 systematic review from the University of California, Davis.
—Cheyenne Haslett, ABC News, 24 Sep. 2025
Trump has notably refrained from terminating Fed Chair Jerome Powell despite months of musings.
—Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 22 Sep. 2025
Airlines also want to weaken the regulatory framework by terminating a cooperation agreement with state attorneys general on airline passenger rights and imposing a two-year statute of limitations on DOT enforcement actions.
—Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 22 Sep. 2025
The loss amounts to the department terminating almost 20 full-time officers, said Dustin Smith, president of the Sacramento Police Officers Association.
—Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 22 Sep. 2025
His council colleagues unanimously agreed for city staff to look at terminating the contract.
—Claire Wang, Oc Register, 18 Sep. 2025
If so, the employer may face more risk for not terminating that person than for firing them, because of the message a company’s response sends to other employees and the public, says Segal.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 16 Sep. 2025
The next day, the president called again and said Next Door was terminating her position, Molitor said.
—Quinn Clark, jsonline.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terminating
Adjective
-
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
-
Still, ending the war always required that Hamas agree to a deal—perhaps an ugly one, certainly an imperfect one, but one that would bring a stop to the killing.—
Mohammed R. Mhawish,
New Yorker,
14 Oct. 2025
-
After Voodoo, D’Angelo went over a decade without releasing music, finally ending that long hiatus at the end of 2014 with Black Messiah.—
Ethan Millman,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Right Now Reducing and eventually stopping sugar cravings can take time.—
Jamie Johnson,
Verywell Health,
10 Oct. 2025
-
His dad raced, and Vinson followed in his father’s footsteps beginning at age 14 before eventually stopping to focus on his career as an educator, first as a teacher and coach, then eventually an administrator, principal and now a superintendent.—
Jordan Bianchi,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Bubble hems returned across skirts, pants and jackets, proving the detail can feel sharp and modern when well executed, while skirts in every form — sharp and structured, flowing and asymmetric — emerged as the defining piece of spring 2026.—
Rhonda Richford,
Footwear News,
8 Oct. 2025
-
This absence of shame is a defining generational factor.—
Glynnis MacNicol,
Flow Space,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Kohberger, 30, was sentenced in July to four consecutive life prison terms for murdering the four U of I undergraduates in Moscow in November 2022.—
Kevin Fixler,
Idaho Statesman,
9 Oct. 2025
-
Soon after, the viewer meets Speck (Tobias Jelinek), notorious for murdering eight nursing students at a house outside Chicago in the late 1960s.—
Elizabeth Yuko,
Rolling Stone,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
In consultation with Todd Arrington, former Director of the Eisenhower Presidential Library, the Protocol Gift Unit opted to purchase a replica of a sword in the Eisenhower collection rather than removing an object from the collection.—
Matthew Kelly,
Kansas City Star,
13 Oct. 2025
-
Just to his right, Dmitry Simashev was also removing his gear and about to answer questions about the anticipation for his NHL debut Thursday night.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
13 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
New Mexico’s final drive of the game, which produced a late TD, accounted for 75 yards and four of the first downs.—
Jim Keyser,
Idaho Statesman,
12 Oct. 2025
-
One reason is that the fan base is demoralized after La Vinotinto was routed 6-3 by Colombia in the final qualifying date last month and failed to earn a World Cup playoff spot.—
Michelle Kaufman,
Miami Herald,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The Europalia Españe 2025 Festival runs for four months, concluding in January 2026.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
8 Oct. 2025
-
Two lower courts threw out the lawsuit after concluding that the congressman lacked standing -- or the legal right to bring a lawsuit -- because the plaintiffs could not prove the policy harmed them.—
Peter Charalambous,
ABC News,
8 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Terminating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terminating. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share