termination

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable or uncountableformal

   The act of ending something, or the point where something stops, especially an agreement or a service.

   Grammar: Uncountable for the general act (termination of the lease), countable for a particular case.

   Patterns

   • the termination of something
   • termination of something by someone

   The termination of the lease takes effect on the last day of June.

   Either party may request termination with thirty days' notice.

   The engine failed, forcing the termination of the flight.

2. 2nouncountable or uncountablebusiness

   The ending of a person's employment, whether by the employer or by agreement.

   Grammar: Often used with a noun before it: termination letter, termination pay.

   Patterns

   • termination from something

   She received a termination letter on Friday afternoon.

   The firm paid three months' salary on termination.

   Wrongful termination cases can take years to settle.

3. 3nouncountable or uncountablemedicaleuphemistic

   The deliberate ending of a pregnancy, in medical or legal wording.

   Grammar: Usually appears in the fixed phrase termination of pregnancy.

   Patterns

   • termination of pregnancy

   The clinic offers advice on termination of pregnancy.

   The law sets limits on late termination.

   Doctors discussed the possibility of termination with the family.

Word forms

Common combinations

wrongful termination

He sued the company for wrongful termination.

termination notice

The landlord served a termination notice.

termination clause

The termination clause allows either side to leave the deal.

early termination

Early termination of the loan costs a fee.

termination of employment

The termination of employment was handled by HR.

immediate termination

Theft is grounds for immediate termination.

Synonyms and how they differ

ending

Ending is the everyday word for the last part of anything, while termination sounds official and stresses a deliberate decision.

dismissal

Dismissal is limited to sending someone away from a job, whereas termination can also describe contracts, services and processes.

cancellation

Cancellation implies stopping something before it begins or takes effect, while termination often stops something already running.

firing

Firing is the casual, direct word for losing a job and carries less legal tone than termination.

Opposites

Word family

terminate verb

to end something or to come to an end

terminated adjective

brought to an end

terminal adjective

relating to an end

terminable adjective

able to be ended

Commonly confused: termination or determination?

Practice

Make it your own

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