Meaning & use
terminating
Last updated
“terminating” is a form of “terminate”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive
Bringing something to an end on purpose, especially an agreement, a job or a process.
Grammar: Takes an object: the firm is terminating the contract.
Patterns
- terminate something
- terminate someone's employment
- terminate a contract
The landlord is terminating the lease at the end of the month.
The company is terminating several projects to save money.
Terminating a membership usually requires thirty days' written notice.
verbintransitive
Coming to an end, or having an end point, as a route or process does.
Grammar: No object; often followed by at or in: the train terminates at Leeds.
Patterns
- terminate at somewhere
- terminate in something
The train terminating at the coast leaves from platform four.
The path keeps climbing until it finally terminates at a small lake.
The nerve fibers are terminating in the muscle.
adjectivebefore a nounmathematics
Describing a decimal number that stops after a limited number of digits instead of repeating forever.
Grammar: Comes before the noun: a terminating decimal.
Patterns
- a terminating decimal
The fraction one quarter gives a terminating decimal, 0.25.
Students were asked to sort fractions into terminating and repeating decimals.
A terminating decimal can always be written as a fraction with a power of ten below the line.
Word forms
| third person singular | terminates |
|---|---|
| past tense | terminated |
| past participle | terminated |
| -ing form | terminating |
Common combinations
- terminating a contract
- Terminating a contract early can lead to a penalty.
- terminating employment
- Terminating employment without notice is risky for the employer.
- terminating a pregnancy
- The doctor explained the options for terminating a pregnancy.
- terminating decimal
- The number 0.125 is a terminating decimal.
- terminating station
- The terminating station for this line is on the edge of the city.
Synonyms and how they differ
- ending
- Ending is the plain everyday word, while terminating sounds more formal and often suggests an official decision.
- cancelling
- Cancelling usually means stopping something that was planned or booked, whereas terminating can end something already running.
- dismissing
- Dismissing is used only when removing a person from a job, while terminating also applies to contracts and processes.
- concluding
- Concluding suggests a natural or planned finish, but terminating often sounds abrupt or forced.
Opposites
Word family
- terminate verb
- to bring to an end
- termination noun
- the act of ending something, or the end itself
- terminal noun
- a station or building where a route ends
- terminable adjective
- able to be ended
- interminable adjective
- seeming to go on forever
Commonly confused: terminating or exterminating?
terminating vs exterminating
Exterminating means killing off a pest or group completely, which is much stronger than terminating a contract or process.
Practice
The airline is ___ the contract with its catering supplier after repeated delays.
Choose one answer.
Terminating means formally ending the contract. Extending and renewing would continue it, and drafting means writing an early version.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “terminating”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.