terminate
/ˈtəːmɪneɪt
/verb
1 [with object] Bring to an end: he was advised to terminate the contract...
- When the work was more than half finished the homeowners terminated the contract.
- She went off on sick leave in early 1998 and her appointment was terminated in March that year.
- As a result, data collection in these sites was terminated prior to achieving the targeted number of cases.
Synonyms
bring to an end, end, bring to a close/conclusion, close, conclude, finish, stop, put an end to, put a stop to, wind up, discontinue, break off, cease, cut short, bring to an untimely end, abort;
axe
informal pull the plug on
1.1End (a pregnancy) before term by artificial means.Once the fetal demise was diagnosed, pregnancy was terminated by medical induction, such that the products of conception were largely delivered intact....
- In severe cases, detected early in pregnancy, the option of terminating the pregnancy may be considered.
- I work as an obstetrician in a city where one in three pregnancies is terminated.
Synonyms
abort, end
1.2 [no object] (Of a train, bus, or boat service) end its journey: the train will terminate at Stratford...
- We all got off at Kennington, because the train was terminating; he stumbles and falls over onto the other platform.
- The driver told them the bus had terminated and asked them to leave, but they demanded to be taken on to Danebury Avenue.
- The doors closed, we trundled to the next station, then the train terminated.
Synonyms
end its journey, finish up, stop
1.3chiefly North American End the employment of (someone); dismiss: Adamson’s putting pressure on me to terminate you...
- The Plaintiff testified that she was shocked that she was terminated from her employment.
- An at-will policy allows employers to terminate workers at the company's discretion.
- When someone is terminated, sit down with each employee individually and tell them why that happened, Duffy says.
1.4 euphemistic, chiefly North American Murder (someone): he was terminated by persons unknown
2 [no object] (terminate in) (Of a thing) have its end at (a specified place) or of (a specified form): the chain terminated in an iron ball covered with spikes...
- A road does not necessarily terminate in the same sector in which it begins.
- The end result is a three-storey, south-facing crescent, terminating in a taller building at either side, creating a book-end effect.
- The group took a thrilling helicopter ride over the glacier, which descends some 2,280 feet, terminating in a spectacular icefall that feeds the river.
2.1 [with object] archaic Form the physical end or extremity of (an area).The tennis complex terminates the Olympic site, and the centre court was designed to be a visual stop for the main axis, as well as a congenial focus for the sport.
Phrases
terminate someone with extreme prejudice
Origin
Late 16th century (in the sense 'direct an action towards a specified end'): from Latin terminat- 'limited, ended', from the verb terminare, from terminus 'end, boundary'.
Rhymes
- Lewis, Cecil Day
- Lewis, C. S.
- Lewis gun
- Lewisian
- lewisite
- Lewis, Jerry
- Lewis, Jerry Lee
- Lewis, John Llewellyn
- Lewis, Lennox
- Lewis, Meriwether
- Lewis, Sinclair
- Lewiston
- Lewis with Harris
- Lewis, Wyndham
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