termination
/ˌtɜːmɪˈneɪʃn/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌtɜːrmɪˈneɪʃn/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌtər-mə-ˈnā-shən/ (ame, mw)
termination — noun
- terminationsingular
- terminationsplural
1. The act of bringing something to a finish, or the point at which something stops
The act of bringing something to a finish, or the point at which something stops being in effect or available, especially a legal arrangement, a service, or an agreement.
Kenji's contract with the publishing house ended in unexpected termination after only two years.
termination of [contract]
The company sent Fatima a formal letter of termination when the factory shut down permanently.
Both parties agreed to the early termination of the lease to avoid more legal disputes.
Park received a notice of termination three months before the health insurance coverage ended.
After the sudden termination of the train service, commuters had to find other ways to work.
- ending
The most general word; works in any context, formal or casual.
- conclusion
Suggests a planned or natural finish, often of a process, story, or event.
- cessation
More formal than 'termination'; implies a complete stop, often of something unwanted like fighting or noise.
- expiry
Used for time-limited items such as passports, contracts, or licenses; the end comes because a period is up.
- start
The beginning of something that later ends.
- continuation
The act of keeping something going without stopping.
文法句型
termination + of + noun phrase
termination of (a contract/agreement/employment)
用法筆記
By far the most common sense of 'termination'. Frequently appears in legal and business contexts such as contracts, employment, leases, and insurance policies. The pattern is almost always 'termination of [something]'.
常見錯誤
2. A medical procedure that intentionally ends a pregnancy at an early stage, perfo
A medical procedure that intentionally ends a pregnancy at an early stage, performed by a doctor in a clinic or hospital.
Yuki made the difficult choice to have a termination after talking with her family doctor.
have a termination [medical procedure]
The hospital requires that anyone requesting a termination speak with a counselor first.
In some countries, the law permits termination only during the first twelve weeks of pregnancy.
Nora's doctor explained both the medical steps and the emotional support available for a termination.
- abortion
The more common and direct term in general use; 'termination' is the clinical euphemism.
文法句型
have/get a termination
termination of pregnancy
用法筆記
In everyday conversation, 'abortion' is far more common than 'termination'. The word 'termination' is the clinical term used in medical documents, hospital records, and formal healthcare discussions.
常見錯誤
3. What finally happens as a direct consequence of a planned series of actions, a s
What finally happens as a direct consequence of a planned series of actions, a scientific experiment, or a decision-making process.
The termination of the court's investigation was a formal report sent to both legal teams.
termination [outcome] of [investigation] was [concrete product]
By the termination of the review, the finance team had already approved the new budget.
by the termination of [process], [result] had occurred
A successful termination of the training course is a certificate in nursing.
The termination of the three-month market survey was a strategy for launching the new product.
- outcome
More common and neutral; works in both formal and informal contexts.
- result
Broadest word for what happens because of something; less formal than 'termination'.
- consequence
Often implies a negative or neutral result that follows logically from causes.
- cause
The thing that makes something else happen.
文法句型
the termination of + noun phrase
用法筆記
This sense is rarer than the general 'ending' sense (sense 1) and appears mainly in formal or technical writing. Distinguish it from sense 1: here the focus is on what is produced or achieved as an outcome, not just on the act of stopping.
4. A point or line that marks where something ends in physical distance, area, or s
A point or line that marks where something ends in physical distance, area, or space — for example, where a road stops or a land boundary is drawn.
The fence marks the termination of the public park and the start of private farmland.
termination of [area/land]
The hiking trail reaches its termination at a high cliff overlooking the river valley.
Beyond the termination of the paved road, only a narrow dirt path continues through the forest.
The river's termination is a wide delta where it flows into the South China Sea.
文法句型
the termination of + noun phrase [physical feature]
用法筆記
Primarily used in descriptions of geographical features, property boundaries, and physical routes such as roads, trails, pipelines, and railways. The more common word for most spatial endings is 'end' or 'boundary'.
5. A meaningful word element attached at the very end of a root or stem that gives
A meaningful word element attached at the very end of a root or stem that gives grammatical information or changes the word class, such as '-ed' for past tense or '-ness' to form a noun.
In Spanish, the termination '-ción' turns a verb like 'hablar' into a noun meaning 'speech'.
suffix as an example of termination
The teacher showed how the termination '-ed' puts a regular verb into the past tense.
Santiago's grammar book listed common noun terminations such as '-ness' and '-tion'.
Using the wrong verb termination can change the whole meaning of a sentence in Japanese.
- suffix
Much more common in everyday teaching; refers to any letter or group of letters added to the end of a word.
- ending
Simpler, more general word used in basic grammar lessons.
- inflectional ending
A narrower term for grammatical endings like '-s' (plural) or '-ed' (past tense).
- prefix
A word element attached to the beginning of a root.
文法句型
[noun/adjective/verb] + termination
用法筆記
Common in linguistics textbooks and grammar discussions. In everyday language teaching, the word 'suffix' is far more frequent. 'Inflectional ending' is a related but narrower term that refers specifically to endings like '-s', '-ed', and '-ing' that do not change the word class.