terminate 1 of 2

1
as in to end
to bring (an event) to a natural or appropriate stopping point we need to terminate the discussion for this evening, but we'll resume tomorrow morning

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
3
as in to define
to mark the limits of terminated the area set aside for the runners to change their clothes with a series of folding screens

Synonyms & Similar Words

4
5

terminate

2 of 2

adjective

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb terminate differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of terminate are close, complete, conclude, end, and finish. While all these words mean "to bring or come to a stopping point or limit," terminate implies the setting of a limit in time or space.

your employment terminates after three months

When might close be a better fit than terminate?

While the synonyms close and terminate are close in meaning, close usually implies that something has been in some way open as well as unfinished.

close a debate

When is complete a more appropriate choice than terminate?

The meanings of complete and terminate largely overlap; however, complete implies the removal of all deficiencies or a successful finishing of what has been undertaken.

the resolving of this last issue completes the agreement

Where would conclude be a reasonable alternative to terminate?

The words conclude and terminate can be used in similar contexts, but conclude may imply a formal closing (as of a meeting).

the service concluded with a blessing

When can end be used instead of terminate?

In some situations, the words end and terminate are roughly equivalent. However, end conveys a strong sense of finality.

ended his life

In what contexts can finish take the place of terminate?

The synonyms finish and terminate are sometimes interchangeable, but finish may stress completion of a final step in a process.

after it is painted, the house will be finished

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of terminate
Verb
Like Santos, his case had not yet been terminated by a judge before being detained, Ruth said. Alexandra Mendoza, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 May 2025 In early April, the Trump administration terminated the immigration statuses of thousands of international students listed in a government database, the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System. Corey Mitchell, The Conversation, 23 May 2025
Adjective
ChristianaCare, the state’s largest health care system and largest private employer, has stated that all employees must receive the first dose of the vaccine by Sept. 21, or the health system with terminate workers who don’t unless given an exemption. From Usa Today Network and Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 9 Aug. 2021 That control gave Puglisi the sole authority to set up new credit card accounts, change spending limits, manage card access and terminate accounts. Washington Post, 17 Aug. 2021 See All Example Sentences for terminate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terminate
Verb
  • But since the spring legislative session ended, Ford has had joint meetings with cannabis and hemp operators in an attempt to reach some compromise.
    Robert McCoppin, Chicago Tribune, 3 June 2025
  • Since that two-year period ended this past March and was not renewed, Soliman is currently in the country illegally.
    The Editors, National Review, 3 June 2025
Verb
  • The chase reportedly ended when Buckley wrecked near the intersection of Watts and McAlister streets, an area of mostly forest about 1 1/2 miles southeast of where Buckley was first stopped.
    Grant Lancaster, Arkansas Online, 25 May 2025
  • It's been hard for any team to stop Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was named the regular season MVP.
    Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 May 2025
Verb
  • More impressive millwork defines the passageways to the formal dining and living rooms.
    James Alexander, Hartford Courant, 1 June 2025
  • This was bricolage in the mode of postmodernism, to use a term that Jencks had a leading role in propagating, defining it in multiple competing and overlapping (some would say maddening) ways.
    Glenn Adamson, Artforum, 1 June 2025
Verb
  • Milk was assassinated in 1978 by a former colleague on the board.
    Jonathan Horwitz, Oc Register, 23 May 2025
  • The day after John F. Kennedy was assassinated, a little over four years earlier in 1963, Hartford Public Schools held a half-day so students could grieve.
    Staff report, Hartford Courant, 21 May 2025
Verb
  • To remove that barrier, managers can ensure their team receives basic AI literacy and capability training.
    Heide Abelli, Forbes.com, 2 June 2025
  • The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission sent a licensed trapper to remove the injured alligator, officials said.
    Mark Price, Miami Herald, 2 June 2025
Adjective
  • These transfers can be made to trusts, such as qualified terminable interest property trust which can be relatively simple and inexpensive to create and also defer estate tax on unlimited wealth.
    Martin Shenkman, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2025
  • Another type of trust to consider in this situation would be a qualified terminable interest property (QTIP) trust.
    Liz Weston, oregonlive, 6 Aug. 2023
Verb
  • Before her game this week against the Phoenix Mercury, Reese was asked about the investigation concluding that the claims were not substantiated.
    Washington Examiner Staff, The Washington Examiner, 29 May 2025
  • The court concluded that long-standing trade deficits do not constitute a sudden or extraordinary national emergency.
    Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 May 2025
Verb
  • Yet, for some time now, there has been a third movement that tends to be articulated more in art than elsewhere, even if elsewhere there has long since ceased to be any alternative.
    Diedrich Diederichsen, Artforum, 1 June 2025
  • Once retired, income mainly ceases and so does the ability to add funding to retirement accounts.
    David Kudla, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Terminate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terminate. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.

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