Meaning

9 senses

  1. (transitive)To end something, especially when left in an incomplete state.

    to terminate a process before its completion

    to terminate an effort, or a controversy

    abbrechen, terminieren

    прекраща́тьprekraščátʹ, прекратитьprekratitʹ

  2. (transitive)To conclude.

  3. (transitive)To set or be a limit or boundary to.

    to terminate a surface by a line

    ограничиватьograničivatʹ, ограничитьograničitʹ

  4. (transitive)To form an appropriate end on (a wire, cable, hose, pipe, etc), such as by applying a cable terminal or a hose ferrule.

    We'll rough them all in before we start terminating any of them.

  5. (transitive)To end the employment contract of an employee; to fire, lay off.

    entlassen

    расторгатьrastorgatʹ, расторгнутьrastorgnutʹ

  6. (euphemistic, transitive)To kill someone or something.

    The enemy must be terminated by any means possible.

    убитьubitʹ

  7. (intransitive)To end, conclude, or cease; to come to an end.

    bring to an end or halt

  8. (intransitive)Of a mode of transport, to end its journey; or, of a railway line, to reach its terminus.

    This train terminates at the next station.

  9. (intransitive)To issue or result.

Examples

40 sentences

  1. Pensions can be terminated.

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  2. The contract has been mutually terminated.

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  3. Skura decided to terminate her pregnancy.

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  4. We have terminated your insurance contract.

    CC BY · Tatoeba · catimini · B2Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  5. I want to terminate my lease.

    CC BY · Tatoeba · megamanenm · B2Open on TatoebaReport a problem

Translations

6 languages
Русский
By meaning 4
to end something, especially when left in an incomplete state:
to set or be a limit or boundary to:
to end the employment contract of:
to kill someone or something:
Deutsch
By meaning 2
to end something, especially when left in an incomplete state:
to end the employment contract of:

Origin

From Middle English terminaten (“to bring to an end; to adjudicate; to end, stop; to borde

From Middle English terminaten (“to bring to an end; to adjudicate; to end, stop; to border, confine, contain”) from terminat(e) (“bounded”, also used as the past participle of terminaten) + -en (verb-forming suffix), borrowed from Latin terminātus, perfect passive participle of terminō (“to set bounds to, bound, limit, end, close, terminate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from terminus (“a bound, limit, end”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix); see term, terminus. Doublet of termine, cognate with French terminer.

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Forms

terminates, terminating, terminated, terminated
Base formterminate · to terminate
3rd person singularterminates
Present participleterminating
Past simpleterminated
Past participleterminated

regular · Lesson

Present simpleLesson

I, you, we, theyterminate
he, she, itterminates

Past simpleLesson

all personsterminated

Present perfectLesson

I, you, we, theyhave terminated
he, she, ithas terminated

Future simple (will)Lesson

all personswill terminate

Synonyms

17 synonyms
to end the employment contract:axeB2
to end incompletely:stopA1discontinuebreak off
fireB2sackB2
Close in meaning

Antonyms

1 antonyms
to end incompletely:continueA2

Word family

15 related words
Relatedterminableterminationterminatorterminusabortterminative
Derivedantiterminatecoterminateinterminatemisterminatereterminateself-terminateterminatableterminatoryunterminate

Lessons for this word

3 lessons

See also

neighbours in the dictionary
terminalB1terminallyterminationterminatorterminologyterminus
terminate — meaning, examples, forms, synonyms | Krumeto