terminate
verb · adjective
Simple meaning
To bring something to a conclusion.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
turmuhnaytSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈtɝməneɪt
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
Be the end of; be the last or concluding part of
transitive
To end something, especially when left in an incomplete state.
intransitive
To end, conclude, or cease; to come to an end.
transitive
To end the employment contract of an employee; to fire, lay off.
transitive
To set or be a limit or boundary to.
transitive
To form an appropriate end on (a wire, cable, hose, pipe, etc), such as by applying a cable terminal or a hose ferrule.
adjective
Having a definite and clear limit or boundary; having a determinate size, shape or magnitude.
Terminated; limited; bounded; ended.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Be the end of; be the last or concluding part of
Used this way, terminate is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Nearby words
- sack , more casual, better suited to speech than writing
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use terminate
- “The bronchioles terminate in a capillary bed.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
Someone who exterminates (especially someone whose occupation is the extermination of troublesome rodents and insects).
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.