termination

[ tur-muh-ney-shuhn ]

noun

1. the act of terminating
2. the fact of being terminated.
3. the place or part where anything terminates; bound or limit.
4. an end or extremity; close or conclusion.
5. an issue or result.
6. Grammar. a suffix or ending.
7. an ending of employment with a specific employer.

termination

/ ˌtɜːmɪˈneɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of terminating or the state of being terminated
2. something that terminates
3. a final result

Derived Forms

• ˌtermiˈnational, adjective

Other Words From

• termi·nation·al adjective
• nonter·mi·nation noun
• unter·mi·nation·al adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of termination¹

1400–50; late Middle English terminacion < Latin terminātiōn- (stem of terminātiō ) decision. See terminate, -ion

Example Sentences

Hegseth's attorney said that the settlement was due to the host's fear that allegations “would result in his immediate termination from Fox.”

From Salon

The partners then deepened their relationship with a national contract, according to a wrongful termination lawsuit by a former BaronHR employee.

From New York Times

After his termination, Scheuer allegedly continued to access the menu software from a personal device.

From Salon

As it stands, Pennsylvania allows abortion up to 24 weeks of gestation, or later if there is a medical emergency that necessitates pregnancy termination.

From Salon

One couple said they opted for a termination after the foetus was diagnosed with several anomalies at their 20-week scan.

From BBC

Related Words

• completion
• expiry

More About Termination

What does termination mean?

Termination is the act of bringing something to an end or the physical end of something.

Termination is the noun form of the verb terminate, meaning to bring an end to. It also means to fire someone from a job, and termination is perhaps most commonly used as a way to refer to this process or its result, as in His employment with the company ended in termination. 

Example: The termination of the program last year hurt the many people who relied on its benefits.

Where does termination come from?

The first records of termination come from around the 1400s. It ultimately derives from the Latin verb termināre, meaning “to set boundaries,” from terminus, meaning “end” (the word terminus is also used in English to mean “end”).

The verb terminate can sound quite deadly, probably due at least in part to the Terminator series of movies featuring time-traveling, killer robots (who always manage to travel just not far enough back in time to get the job done). Even if you’re not being hunted by a robot from the future, getting terminated is never a good thing. In real life, it often means getting fired, and termination is often the official, HR-approved term for the process.

But termination doesn’t always refer to the end of one’s life or the end of one’s job. The termination of a legal contract is the ending of it for a particular reason, perhaps because the period of the contract is over. The termination of a word is the suffix or ending part—the termination of termination is the suffix -tion. In a physical sense, a termination is where something ends or its boundary. However, when referring to something like a trail, the word terminus is more often used to mean the same thing.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to termination?

• terminate (verb)
• terminational (adjective)
• nontermination (noun)
• unterminational (adjective)

What are some synonyms for termination?

• end
• cessation
• firing

What are some words that share a root or word element with termination? 

 

• term
• terminus
• determination

What are some words that often get used in discussing termination?

• cease
• fire
• laid-off
• contract
• testcompletion

How is termination used in real life?

Termination is most often used in a technical way or in an official context. It is perhaps most commonly used in reference to the firing of an employee, but this sense is mostly used by HR reps and lawyers.

In addition to fining Antonio Brown $215,073.53 for conduct detrimental to the team that voided $29.125 million worth of guaranteed money in his contract, the Raiders sent Brown a letter that he no longer will be entitled to termination pay if they release him, per sources.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 7, 2019

BREAKING: LeBron James' agent informs Heat that he will exercise early termination option, making James free agent. (via @Chris_Broussard )

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 24, 2014

Heating up seafood in the breakroom microwave should have HR dropping termination papers on your desk effective immediately

— Stafford Steve (@South_Paugh) November 7, 2019

 

 

Try using termination!

Which of the following terms is NOT a synonym of termination?

A. beginning
B. cut-off
C. end
D. cessation