terminate

1 of 2

verb

ter·​mi·​nate ˈtər-mə-ˌnāt How to pronounce terminate (audio)
terminated; terminating

intransitive verb

1
: to form an ending
2
: to come to an end in time
3
: to extend only to a limit (such as a point or line)
especially : to reach a terminus

transitive verb

1
a
: to bring to an end : close
terminate a marriage by divorce
terminate a transmission line
b
: to discontinue the employment of
workers terminated because of slow business
c
: to form the conclusion of
review questions terminate each chapter
2
: to serve as an ending, limit, or boundary of
3

terminate

2 of 2

adjective

ter·​mi·​nate ˈtər-mə-nət How to pronounce terminate (audio)
: coming to an end or capable of ending
Choose the Right Synonym for terminate

close, end, conclude, finish, complete, terminate mean to bring or come to a stopping point or limit.

close usually implies that something has been in some way open as well as unfinished.

close a debate

end conveys a strong sense of finality.

ended his life

conclude may imply a formal closing (as of a meeting).

the service concluded with a blessing

finish may stress completion of a final step in a process.

after it is painted, the house will be finished

complete implies the removal of all deficiencies or a successful finishing of what has been undertaken.

the resolving of this last issue completes the agreement

terminate implies the setting of a limit in time or space.

your employment terminates after three months

Examples of terminate in a Sentence

Verb The branches of that tree terminate in flower clusters. The rail line terminates in Boston. You have to terminate the program before the computer will shut down properly. His contract was terminated last month. He was terminated last month. Plans are being made to terminate unproductive employees.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
This was code for saying that the United States should withdraw its forces from Europe and terminate the Marshall Plan. Benn Steil, Foreign Affairs, 19 Mar. 2024 That differs from charter cities like Oakland, where the civilian police commission has much greater power and can vote to terminate a police chief, select chief candidates for the mayor to pick from and investigate allegations of police officer misconduct. Judith Prieve, The Mercury News, 19 Mar. 2024 Decisions to terminate a vendor and to hire a replacement vendor are both open session topics. Kelly G. Richardson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Mar. 2024 Not long after Trump’s Inauguration, Johnson joined a conference call with him about plans to terminate Obamacare, and at the end of the call Johnson promised to pray for the new President. David D. Kirkpatrick, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2024 DiGiorno reserves the right to cancel or modify offer, or terminate participation, at any time). Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 13 Mar. 2024 After a standard 30-day waiting period, the process to terminate his biological parental rights began. Maggie Menderski, The Courier-Journal, 12 Mar. 2024 The intensity of their opposition was on display Thursday, as four pharmaceutical giants urged a federal judge in New Jersey to terminate the program before seniors would see any change to their drug costs. Tony Romm, Washington Post, 11 Mar. 2024 If an eviction process follows, the Seaquarium could fight the effort in court and ask a judge to declare the park in compliance with lease provisions the county is citing as the basis for terminating the deal. Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024
Adjective
ChristianaCare, the state’s largest health care system and largest private employer, has stated that all employees must receive the first dose of the vaccine by Sept. 21, or the health system with terminate workers who don’t unless given an exemption. From Usa Today Network and Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 9 Aug. 2021 That control gave Puglisi the sole authority to set up new credit card accounts, change spending limits, manage card access and terminate accounts. Washington Post, 17 Aug. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'terminate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Latin terminatus, past participle of terminare, from terminus

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of terminate was in the 15th century

Cite this Entry

“Terminate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/terminate. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

terminate

verb
ter·​mi·​nate
ˈtər-mə-ˌnāt
terminated; terminating
1
a
: to bring or come to an end : close
terminate a meeting
b
: to form the conclusion of
review questions terminate each chapter
2
: to serve as a limit or boundary of : bound
a fence terminated the yard
3
: to reach an end point or line
the racecourse terminates at the park entrance
terminable
ˈtərm-(ə-)nə-bəl
adjective
termination
ˌtər-mə-ˈnā-shən
noun
terminator
ˈtər-mə-ˌnāt-ər
noun

Legal Definition

terminate

verb
ter·​mi·​nate ˈtər-mə-ˌnāt How to pronounce terminate (audio)
terminated; terminating

intransitive verb

: to come to an end in time or effect

transitive verb

1
: to bring to a definite end especially before a natural conclusion
terminate a contract
compare cancel, rescind
2
: to discontinue the employment of
termination noun

More from Merriam-Webster on terminate

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