terminate

/ˌtɛrməˈneɪt/

/ˈtʌmɪneɪt/

Other forms: terminated; terminating; terminates

To terminate something is to bring it to an end. Period. Full stop.

In ancient Rome, Terminus was the God of landmarks, boundaries, and endings. That’s why his annual party took place at the end of the year. You can imagine the guests walking around in their togas, going, “This party is so great, I wish it would never terminate.” Nowadays, terminate can be used to refer to bringing anything to an end — including one's job or a product line: "When the Weird Food Company announces plans to terminate production of its deep-fried chocolate-covered pickle line, it will be a sad day for lovers of strange snacks."

Definitions of terminate

1. verb

   bring to an end or halt
   “The attack on Poland terminated the relatively peaceful period after WW I”

   synonyms: end

   types:

   close out

   terminate

   finish

   cause to finish a relationship with somebody

   abort

   terminate before completion

   culminate

   bring to a head or to the highest point

   lift, raise

   put an end to

   ax, axe

   terminate

   kill, stamp out

   end or extinguish by forceful means

   break up, dissolve

   come to an end

   break up, dissolve

   bring the association of to an end or cause to break up

   break, break off, discontinue, stop

   prevent completion

   break, interrupt

   terminate

   crush out, extinguish, press out, stub out

   extinguish by crushing

   finalise, finalize, nail down, settle

   make final; put the last touches on; put into final form

   complete, finish

   come or bring to a finish or an end

   closure, cloture

   terminate debate by calling for a vote

   adjudicate, decide, dispose, resolve, settle

   bring to an end; settle conclusively

   conclude

   bring to a close

   close

   complete a business deal, negotiation, or an agreement

   phase out

   terminate gradually

   close

   finish or terminate (meetings, speeches, etc.)

   fracture

   become fractured

   close

   finish a game in baseball by protecting a lead

   hold on, stop

   stop and wait, as if awaiting further instructions or developments

   break off, break short, cut short

   interrupt before its natural or planned end

   freeze, suspend

   stop a process or a habit by imposing a freeze on it

   bog, bog down

   get stuck while doing something

   top, top off

   finish up or conclude

   clear up, finish off, finish up, get through, mop up, polish off, wrap up

   finish a task completely

   see through

   remain with until completion

   finish out, round out

   fill out

   carry out, follow out, follow through, follow up, go through, implement, put through

   pursue to a conclusion or bring to a successful issue

   judge

   determine the result of (a competition)

   adjust

   decide how much is to be paid on an insurance claim

   break up, cut off, disrupt, interrupt

   make a break in

   perorate

   conclude a speech with a formal recapitulation

   accomplish, action, carry out, carry through, execute, fulfil, fulfill

   put in effect

   type of:

   alter, change, modify

   cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
2. verb

   have an end, in a temporal, spatial, or quantitative sense; either spatial or metaphorical
   “the bronchioles terminate in a capillary bed”

   synonyms: cease, end, finish, stop

   types:

   pass away

   go out of existence

   lapse

   end, at least for a long time

   cut out

   cease operating

   go out

   become extinguished

   adjourn, break up, recess

   close at the end of a session

   disappear, vanish

   cease to exist

   climax, culminate

   end, especially to reach a final or climactic stage

   run out

   become used up; be exhausted

   go, run low, run short

   to be spent or finished

   disappear, go away, vanish

   become invisible or unnoticeable

   close, conclude

   come to a close

   come out, turn out

   result or end

   discontinue

   come to or be at an end

   break

   come to an end

   dematerialise, dematerialize

   become immaterial; disappear

   crown, top

   be the culminating event

   clear, dissipate

   go away or disappear

   bob under

   disappear suddenly, as if under the surface of a body of water

   eventuate

   come out in the end

   work out

   happen in a certain way, leading to, producing, or resulting in a certain outcome, often well

   fizzle, fizzle out, peter out, taper off

   end weakly

   leave off

   come to an end, stop or cease

   expire, run out

   lose validity
3. verb

   be the end of; be the last or concluding part of
   synonyms: end

   types:

   close

   cause a window or an application to disappear on a computer desktop

   type of:

   be

   have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun)
4. verb

   terminate the employment of; discharge from an office or position
   “The company terminated 25% of its workers”

   synonyms: can, dismiss, displace, fire, force out, give notice, give the axe, give the sack, sack, send away

   types:

   retire

   make (someone) retire

   pension off

   let go from employment with an attractive pension

   clean out

   force out

   furlough, lay off

   dismiss from work, usually for economic reasons

   squeeze out

   force out

   dismiss, drop, send away, send packing

   stop associating with

   superannuate

   retire and pension (someone) because of age or physical inability

   downsize

   dismiss from work

   type of:

   remove

   remove from a position or an office