terminate

Formsterminates, terminating, terminated

1. 1
   verbtransitive

   To bring something to a close or finish it.

   Like closing a book once you finish reading it.

   We will terminate the contract at year's end.

   The committee terminated its discussion before lunch.

   Similarend, conclude, close, finish

   Oppositebegin, start (entry), open

2. 2
   verbtransitive

   To end something before it is finished.

   Like stopping a game halfway through because of rain.

   The pilot had to terminate the flight after engine trouble.

   They terminated the experiment when the results looked unsafe.

   Similarend, abort, stop, halt, cancel

   Oppositecontinue, start (entry), begin

   Note
3. 3
   verbintransitive

   To come to an end or stop.

   Like a song that reaches its last note and stops.

   The agreement terminates at the end of this year.

   Most free trials terminate after thirty days.

   Similarend, expire, lapse, cease

   Oppositebegin, start (entry), commence

4. 4
   verbtransitive

   To end someone's job and remove them from work.

   Like a coach dropping a player from the team.

   The company terminated nearly fifty workers last month.

   Managers can terminate an employee for serious misconduct.

   Similarfire, dismiss, sack, discharge

   Oppositehire, employ

5. 5
   verbeuphemistictransitive

   To kill a person or animal.

   The ranger had to terminate the badly injured deer.

   A lone gunman terminated the dictator during the parade.

   Similarkill, eliminate, dispatch

   Note
6. 6
   verbtransitive

   To act as the edge or limit of something.

   A row of poplars terminates the long driveway.

   Tall fences terminate the property along the river.

   Similarend, bound

   Note
7. 7
   verbintransitive

   To finish a journey at the last stop, said of a train or bus.

   Like a bus reaching the last stop where everyone gets off.

   This train terminates at the downtown station.

   Several buses terminate near the stadium on game days.

   Similarend, stop

   Oppositeoriginate, start (entry)

   Note
8. 8
   verbtransitive

   To finish the end of a wire or pipe by adding a fitting.

   Like putting a cap on the end of a pen.

   The electrician terminated each cable with a small connector.

   You must terminate the wire before joining it to the panel.

   Note
9. 9
   verbintransitive

   To finally lead to a certain result or end.

   Like a winding path that finally leads you to a gate.

   The long talks terminated in a fair agreement.

   Such quarrels often terminate in silence.

   Similarend, result, culminate

10. 10
    adjective

    Having a clear edge or limit, and a fixed size, shape, or amount.

    Mountains on the Moon cast shadows that are very dark, terminate and more distinct than those cast by mountains on the Earth.

    Here, terminate means having clear edges and a fixed shape.

    Similarbounded, finite, definite, limited

    Oppositeunbounded, infinite, indefinite

    Note
11. 11
    adjective

    Able to be written in a limited number of terms. Said of a decimal that stops instead of repeating forever.

    One third is a recurring decimal, but one half is a terminate decimal.

    Here, terminate means ending after a set number of digits instead of repeating.

    Similarfinite

    Oppositerecurring, repeating

    Note

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