terminate

Terminate is defined as to end, to bring to an end or to destroy.

(verb)

An example of to terminate is to kill a colony of bugs living in a house.

See terminate in Webster's New World College Dictionary

to bring to an end in space or time; form the end or conclusion of; limit, bound, finish, or conclude
to put an end to; stop; cease
☆ to dismiss from employment; fire
☆ to assassinate: a euphemistic usage

Origin: < L terminatus, pp. of terminare, to end, limit < terminus: see term

intransitive verb

Related Forms:

See terminate in American Heritage Dictionary 4

verb ter·mi·nat·ed, ter·mi·nat·ing, ter·mi·nates

verb, transitive

To bring to an end or halt: “His action terminated the most hopeful period of reform in Prussian history” (Gordon A. Craig).
To occur at or form the end of; conclude or finish: a display of fireworks that terminated the festivities.
To discontinue the employment of; dismiss: a company that terminated 300 workers.

verb, intransitive

To come to an end: The oil pipeline terminates at a shipping port. Negotiations terminated yesterday. See Synonyms at complete.
To have as an end or result: “The Peloponnesian war … terminated in the ruin of the Athenian commonwealth” (Alexander Hamilton).

Origin:

Origin: Latin termināre, termināt-

Origin: , from terminus, end

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terminate synonyms

terminate in a sentence

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