verb
terminate
TUR-mih-nayt
verb
1
To bring something to an end.
"The airline terminated the route due to low demand."
"They terminated the contract after just six months."
2
To end someone's employment; to fire them.
"He was terminated after the internal investigation concluded."
3
To reach or mark an end point, especially of a journey or route.
"This train terminates at Central Station."
How to Use Terminate
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA formal word for "end" or "stop" — used for contracts, journeys, and jobs.
When to use it
More formal and clinical than "end" or "stop"; common in legal, corporate, and technical writing.
Common pairings
terminate a contract
terminate employment
terminate a pregnancy
Word Forms
more terminate comparative, terminated past tense, terminates singular, most terminate superlative
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The airline _____ the route due to low demand.
Etymology
From Latin terminatus, past participle of terminare, "to set bounds to, end," from terminus, "a limit."