terminate

American  

[tur-muh-neyt] / ˈtɜr məˌneɪt /

verb (used with object)

terminated, terminating

1. to bring to an end; put an end to.

   to terminate a contract.

   Synonyms:

   complete, close, conclude, finish, end

2. to occur at or form the conclusion of.

   The countess's soliloquy terminates the play.

   Synonyms:

   complete, close, conclude, finish, end

3. to bound or limit spatially; form or be situated at the extremity of.

4. to dismiss from a job; fire.

   to terminate employees during a recession.

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verb (used without object)

terminated, terminating

1. to end, conclude, or cease.

2. (of a train, bus, or other public conveyance) to end a scheduled run at a certain place.

   This train terminates in New York.

3. to come to an end (often followed by at, in, orwith ).

4. to issue or result (usually followed byin ).

terminate British  

/ ˈtɜːmɪˌneɪt /

verb

1. to form, be, or put an end (to); conclude

   to terminate a pregnancy

   their relationship terminated amicably

2. (tr) to connect (suitable circuitry) to the end of an electrical transmission line to absorb the energy and avoid reflections

3. (intr) maths (of a decimal expansion) to have only a finite number of digits

4. slang (tr) to kill (someone)

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Other Word Forms

• nonterminative adjective
• nonterminatively adverb
• self-terminating adjective
• self-terminative adjective
• terminative adjective
• terminatively adverb
• terminatory adjective
• unterminated adjective
• unterminating adjective
• unterminative adjective

Etymology

Origin of terminate

1580–90; verbal use of late Middle English terminate (adjective) “limited,” from Latin terminātus, past participle of termināre. See term, -ate ¹

Explanation

To terminate something is to bring it to an end. Period. Full stop. In ancient Rome, Terminus was the God of landmarks, boundaries, and endings. That’s why his annual party took place at the end of the year. You can imagine the guests walking around in their togas, going, “This party is so great, I wish it would never terminate.” Nowadays, terminate can be used to refer to bringing anything to an end — including one's job or a product line: "When the Weird Food Company announces plans to terminate production of its deep-fried chocolate-covered pickle line, it will be a sad day for lovers of strange snacks."

Example Sentences

“In the unlikely event that you ever need to terminate the trust, you may do so if the trustees and beneficiaries agree.”

From MarketWatch • Mar. 26, 2026

Discovery board is now free to terminate its agreement with the streaming giant and proceed with Paramount.

From Barron's • Feb. 26, 2026

Warner said if the board still favors Paramount after Netflix revises its offer, Warner would be entitled to terminate the Netflix agreement.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026

"Sometimes we'll have to call the pursuit off - terminate it - because it's just too dangerous."

From BBC • Feb. 17, 2026

Neal moved to Ascend Communications, which built little boxes to terminate Internet signals and was acquired by Lucent Technologies in 1999 for $24 billion, one of the largest acquisitions in history.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

Related Words

• abolish
• abort
• adjourn
• annul
• cancel
• cease
• complete
• conclude
• cut off
• determine
• discharge
• discontinue
• dismiss
• dissolve
• eliminate
• expire
• halt
• put an end to
• recess
• restrict