terminator

American

[tur-muh-nay-ter] / ˈtɜr məˌneɪ tər /

noun

a person or thing that terminates.
Astronomy. the dividing line between the illuminated and the unilluminated part of a satellite or planet, especially the moon.

terminator British

/ ˈtɜːmɪˌneɪtə /

noun

the line dividing the illuminated and dark part of the moon or a planet

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of terminator

1760–70; < Late Latin terminātor, equivalent to terminā ( re ) to terminate + -tor -tor

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.

See Examples For:

terminator

It was an emotional triumph—over terminator Tadej Pogacar, no less—for one of cycling’s best.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 13, 2026

Artemis II pilot Victor Glover heard the call of the terminator: the border between the moon’s daytime and nighttime — the lunar dawn.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2026

That frontier between light and darkness is known as the terminator.

From BBC ● Apr. 3, 2026

Further data will be needed to confirm with certainty that this intriguing excess of light on the eastern terminator of WASP-76b is a glory.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 5, 2024

“Right. I’ll get right on it. My money is still on Charles Wallace being a terminator, though. Kids creepy.”

From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023