termination
Americannoun
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the act of terminating
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the fact of being terminated.
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the place or part where anything terminates; bound or limit.
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an end or extremity; close or conclusion.
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an issue or result.
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Grammar. a suffix or ending.
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an ending of employment with a specific employer.
noun
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the act of terminating or the state of being terminated
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something that terminates
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a final result
Usage
What does termination mean? Termination is the act of bringing something to an end or the physical end of something. Termination is the noun form of the verb terminate, meaning to bring an end to. It also means to fire someone from a job, and termination is perhaps most commonly used as a way to refer to this process or its result, as in His employment with the company ended in termination. Example: The termination of the program last year hurt the many people who relied on its benefits.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of termination
1400–50; late Middle English terminacion < Latin terminātiōn- (stem of terminātiō ) decision. See terminate, -ion
Explanation
Whether it refers to getting fired from a job, a contract running out, or the assassination of a deep-cover spy, termination is "the end of the line." You may be familiar with a certain time-traveling cyborg assassin, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger. His character was a "terminator," in a movie of the same name, and his goal was the termination of Sarah Connor. Lucky for Sarah, and the supposed future of our planet, the termination was unsuccessful. In the real world, you're more likely to see the word termination used when a contract, program, or job comes to an end, unexpectedly or as planned.
Vocabulary lists containing termination
"The Cask of Amontillado"
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "T"
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Lincoln Inaugural Address (March 1861)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The networking company said Wednesday that it is launching a restructuring that will cost up to $1 billion in severance, one-time termination benefits and other costs.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026
The networking company said Wednesday that it is launching a restructuring that will cost up to $1 billion in severance, one-time termination benefits and other costs.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026
"Mr Young's attempt to blame certain world events for our termination of the agreement is merely a ploy to distract from his own defaults and failures."
From BBC • May 13, 2026
A Cal Fire spokesperson said Renteria was served with termination paperwork at the Riverside County Jail on May 4.
From Los Angeles Times • May 9, 2026
The reporters looked at one another, incredulous at the abrupt termination.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
