What does "terminate" mean?
To end something, especially when left in an incomplete state.
Terminate
/ˈtɜːmɪneɪt/ adj, verb
adj, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: To end something, especially when left in an incomplete state.
- Grammar: terminate is listed as adj, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: fire, stop, cease, dismiss.
- Useful contrasts: ancient remains, executed agreement, inchoate.
- Usage evidence: Enos became the first chimp to orbit the earth on November 29, 1961, aboard a Mercury Atlas rocket. Although the mission plan originally called for three orbits, due to a malfunctioning thruster and other technical difficulties, flight controllers were forced to terminate Enos' flight after two orbits. Enos landed in the recovery area and was picked up 75 minutes after splashdown. He was found to be in good overall condition.
How to use "terminate"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "terminate" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "terminate" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "terminate" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "terminate" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "terminate" is acting as adj, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "fire" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "terminate", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Verb
- 1 To end something, especially when left in an incomplete state. transitive
"to terminate a process before its completion"
- 2 bring to an end or halt wordnet
- 3 To conclude. transitive
- 4 terminate the employment of; discharge from an office or position wordnet
- 5 To set or be a limit or boundary to. transitive
"to terminate a surface by a line"
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 have an end, in a temporal, spatial, or quantitative sense; either spatial or metaphorical wordnet
- 7 To form an appropriate end on (a wire, cable, hose, pipe, etc), such as by applying a cable terminal or a hose ferrule. transitive
"We'll rough them all in before we start terminating any of them."
- 8 be the end of; be the last or concluding part of wordnet
- 9 To end the employment contract of an employee; to fire, lay off. transitive
- 10 To kill someone or something. euphemistic, transitive
"The enemy must be terminated by any means possible."
- 11 To end, conclude, or cease; to come to an end. intransitive
"She unlocked the casket which contained her mother's picture, and gazed even more earnestly than usual on that beautiful face; its frank, glad smile was too painful; it seemed an omen of all that could make a joyous and beloved existence; and yet how had her's terminated!"
- 12 Of a mode of transport, to end its journey; or, of a railway line, to reach its terminus. intransitive
"This train terminates at the next station."
- 13 To issue or result. intransitive
Adjective
- 1 Terminated; limited; bounded; ended.
- 2 Having a definite and clear limit or boundary; having a determinate size, shape or magnitude.
"Mountains on the Moon cast shadows that are very dark, terminate and more distinct than those cast by mountains on the Earth."
- 3 Expressible in a finite number of terms; (of a decimal) not recurring or infinite.
"One third is a recurring decimal, but one half is a terminate decimal."
Antonyms
Example
"Enos became the first chimp to orbit the earth on November 29, 1961, aboard a Mercury Atlas rocket. Although the mission plan originally called for three orbits, due to a malfunctioning thruster and other technical difficulties, flight controllers were forced to terminate Enos' flight after two orbits. Enos landed in the recovery area and was picked up 75 minutes after splashdown. He was found to be in good overall condition."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "terminate"?
Common synonyms include: fire, stop, cease, dismiss, end, finish.
How do you use "terminate" in a sentence?
Enos became the first chimp to orbit the earth on November 29, 1961, aboard a Mercury Atlas rocket. Although the mission plan originally called for three orbits, due to a malfunctioning thruster and other technical difficulties, flight controllers were forced to terminate Enos' flight after two orbits. Enos landed in the recovery area and was picked up 75 minutes after splashdown. He was found to be in good overall condition.
How do you pronounce "terminate"?
Pronounced /ˈtɜːmɪneɪt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English terminaten (“to bring to an end; to adjudicate; to end, stop; to border, confine, contain”) from terminat(e) (“bounded”, also used as the past participle of terminaten) + -en (verb-forming suffix), borrowed from Latin terminātus, perfect passive participle of terminō (“to set bounds to, bound, limit, end, close, terminate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from terminus (“a bound, limit, end”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix); see term, terminus. Doublet of termine, cognate with French terminer.
Etymology 2
From Middle English terminat(e) (“bounded”, also used as the past participle of terminaten), see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and Etymology 1 for more.