Jump To:

• term
  term

  noun

  a word or group of words designating something, especially in a particular field, as atom in physics, quietism in theology, adze in carpentry, or district leader in politics.
• term.
  term.

  abbreviation

  terminal.

term

¹ American  

[turm] / tɜrm /

noun

• terms
  plural

1. a word or group of words designating something, especially in a particular field, as atom in physics, quietism in theology, adze in carpentry, or district leader in politics.

2. any word or group of words considered as a member of a construction or utterance.

3. the time or period through which something lasts.

4. a period of time to which limits have been set.

   elected for a term of four years.

5. one of two or more divisions of a school year, during which instruction is regularly provided.

6. an appointed or set time or date, as for the payment of rent, interest, wages, etc.

7. terms,

   1. conditions with regard to payment, price, charge, rates, wages, etc..

      reasonable terms.

   2. conditions or stipulations limiting what is proposed to be granted or done.

      the terms of a treaty.

   3. footing or standing; relations.

      on good terms with someone.

   4. Obsolete. state, situation, or circumstances.

8. Algebra, Arithmetic.

   1. each of the members of which an expression, a series of quantities, or the like, is composed, as one of two or more parts of an algebraic expression.

   2. a mathematical expression of the form axp, axpyq, etc., where a, p, and q are numbers and x and y are variables.

9. Logic.

   1. the subject or predicate of a categorical proposition.

   2. the word or expression denoting the subject or predicate of a categorical proposition.

10. Also called terminus.  a figure, especially of Terminus, in the form of a herm, used by the ancient Romans as a boundary marker; terminal figure.

11. Law.

    1. an estate or interest in land or the like, to be enjoyed for a fixed period.

    2. the duration of an estate.

    3. each of the periods during which certain courts of law hold their sessions.

12. completion of pregnancy; parturition.

13. Archaic.

    1. end, conclusion, or termination.

    2. boundary or limit.

---

verb (used with object)

• terms,
  present (3rd person singular)
• termed,
  past participle,  past
• terming
  present participle

1. to apply a particular term or name to; name; call; designate.

idioms

1. bring to terms, to force to agree to stated demands or conditions; bring into submission.

   After a long struggle, we brought them to terms.

2. come to terms,

   1. to reach an agreement; make an arrangement.

      to come to terms with a creditor.

   2. to become resigned or accustomed.

      to come to terms with one's life.

3. eat one's terms, to study for the bar; be a law student.

4. in terms of, with regard to; concerning.

   The book offers nothing in terms of a satisfactory conclusion.

term. ² American  

abbreviation

1. terminal.

2. termination.

---

term British  

/ tɜːm /

noun

1. a name, expression, or word used for some particular thing, esp in a specialized field of knowledge

   a medical term

2. any word or expression

3. a limited period of time

   his second term of office

   a prison term

4. any of the divisions of the academic year during which a school, college, etc, is in session

5. a point in time determined for an event or for the end of a period

6. Also called: full term.  the period at which childbirth is imminent

7. law

   1. an estate or interest in land limited to run for a specified period

      a term of years

   2. the duration of an estate, etc

   3. (formerly) a period of time during which sessions of courts of law were held

   4. time allowed to a debtor to settle

8. maths either of the expressions the ratio of which is a fraction or proportion, any of the separate elements of a sequence, or any of the individual addends of a polynomial or series

9. logic

   1. the word or phrase that forms either the subject or predicate of a proposition

   2. a name or variable, as opposed to a predicate

   3. one of the relata of a relation

   4. any of the three subjects or predicates occurring in a syllogism

10. Also called: terminal.   terminus.   terminal figure.  architect a sculptured post, esp one in the form of an armless bust or an animal on the top of a square pillar

11. Australian rules football the usual word for quarter

12. archaic a boundary or limit

---

verb

1. (tr) to designate; call

   he was termed a thief

term Scientific  

/ tûrm /

1. Each of the quantities or expressions that form the parts of a ratio or the numerator and denominator of a fraction.

2. Any of the quantities in an equation that are connected to other quantities by a plus sign or a minus sign.

---

Usage

What is a term? In algebra, a term is an individual number or variable or a combination of them, such as 7, x, or 5y. In a similar way, a term is also a word or a group of words, especially those that belong to a specific field. For example, modifier is a grammar term used to describe a word or phrase that limits or qualifies something else. A term can also be any word or phrase. We use term in these articles to describe the word or phrase we’re talking about (check out “Where does term come from?” below for an example). Its plural form, terms, can refer to a set of rules or conditions, such as the terms for repaying a loan or the terms for a truce. To term something is to name or designate something, as in Rainey termed her mother’s angry look the “Rainey Is in Trouble” look. Term can also do with time. Any period of time with a beginning and an end can be called a term. A division of a school year is often called a term, as is the period a politician serves in a specific office. A US president serves a term of four years and can only serve two terms, for example. Example: Always read the terms of service before signing on to a new service.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• half-term
  noun
• misterm
  verb (used with object)
• interterm
  adjective
• termly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• terms
  plural

Participles

• terming
  present
• termed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• term
  simple
• terms
  simple
• have termed
  perfect
• has termed
  perfect
• am terming
  progressive
• are terming
  progressive
• is terming
  progressive
• have been terming
  perfect progressive
• has been terming
  perfect progressive

Past

• termed
  simple
• had termed
  perfect
• was terming
  progressive
• were terming
  progressive
• had been terming
  perfect progressive

Future

• will term
  simple
• will have termed
  perfect
• will be terming
  progressive
• will have been terming
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of term

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English terme, from Old French, from Latin terminus “boundary, limit, end”; akin to Greek térmōn “limit”

Explanation

A term is a word or expression used with a particular meaning. "Rap," "punk," "grunge," and "heavy metal" are terms that describe particular styles of music. "Sweetie" is a term of endearment, at least to most people. Terms can also mean the conditions of an agreement: when you rent an apartment, you agree to certain terms — that you'll pay the rent, you won't have loud parties, etc. If you're "on good terms with someone," you like each other. Term can also be a defined period of time. Spring term at school is the spring semester, and you may be assigned a term paper — to demonstrate how brilliant you've become during that time period.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

term term. terms termed terming

“You have to think long term as a CFO. How do you do that when there’s so much variability in the environment?”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

But this appears to have increased during his second term.

From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026

Additionally, roughly 90% of CoreWeave’s capital outlays are financed through delayed draw term loans secured directly by Nvidia hardware assets, creating a tangible collateral base for lenders.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026

Dissociation is a clinical term that refers to our relationship to the present.

From Slate ● Sep. 23, 2026

“Allons-y,” said Gilles, using the French term for “Let’s go.”

From "City Spies" by James Ponti

“The plan is to probably hold him and I think he’ll be able from that point forward. But it’s certainly not long term. A little precautionary right now.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

Although Donald Trump has acknowledged being aware of the term “America First” and its historical context, he has nevertheless called it “a brand-new modern term. I never related it to the past.”

From Salon ● May 21, 2026

“I think this sends a signal that we are in the pork industry for the long term. We’re not going anywhere.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 16, 2026

"We'll get better revenue streams which means you can bring in better players in the long term. The club can only get better and bigger," he said.

From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2025

“Mandrag brought in about twenty new E’lir last term. I heard him complaining about how crowded things were.”

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

Leaders Manchester City are not too far behind them in terms of how much they've dominated their games, while there's nothing fortunate about unbeaten Brentford's impressive start to the season.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

Fisher and other speakers also said they felt betrayed by the terms of the settlement, which they viewed as more favorable to Paramount.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

In terms of its sound and structure, “Bass Persuades” is an unusually focused set for Ms. Cyrus—there are 10 tracks in 37 minutes, all of which can be described as electronic pop.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

If you look at the terms of these old statutes, for years the court was reading them literally and saying: You’ve got a lot of space here.

From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026

Even more shocking was that the terms of the loans were changing, in ways that increased the likelihood they would go bad.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

Carney was asked Thursday about the prospect of Canada joining the EU and delivered what he termed a "non-answer," declining to rule out the idea or endorse it.

From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026

AHR was first identified because of its ability to detect environmental toxins and pollutants, termed xenobiotics.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 29, 2026

Investing in esports has been a part of the Kingdom's push to become a major player in global gaming - a strategy termed "pixelwashing" by website gamedeveloper.com, external.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan instructed the council to rewrite its draft policy, which he termed “overly onerous and archaic.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

Technology’s history exemplifies what is termed an autocatalytic process: that is, one that speeds up at a rate that increases with time, because the process catalyzes itself.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Price, who has represented the district since 2013, is terming out.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

The district is the poorest the city, and the council race is expected to be one of the most competitive city contests this June, with the current council member, Curren Price, terming out.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2026

Board members left the door open for Carvalho’s return by terming Chait an “acting superintendent,” to fill in temporarily.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 2, 2026

"Justice will be done," government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya posted on X platform, terming the musician's killing an "abominable act".

From BBC ● Feb. 14, 2025

McKissick also defended the phrase, terming it an inevitable response to the “dashed hopes and mangled dreams of a people and a result of the ineffectiveness of the nonviolent movement.”

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

Related Words

• course
• duration
• phase
• quarter
• session
• time