terminated
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.the past tense of 'terminate', meaning you ended something officially.
v.the past tense and past participle of the transitive verb 'terminate', indicating the official conclusion of an agreement or process.
Simple“The company terminated the contract because the work was not finished on time.”
In context“The legal department terminated the partnership agreement immediately after the breach of confidentiality was discovered.”
UsageOften used in legal or business contexts with a direct object.
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.describes something that has finished or reached its final point.
adj.describing a state in which a process, sequence, or legal status has reached its conclusion.
Simple“The terminated project was archived so the team could focus on new tasks.”
In context“The report detailed all terminated accounts that had shown no activity for over twenty-four months.”
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.describes someone who has been told they no longer have a job.
adj.referring to an individual whose employment has been ended by the employer.
Simple“The terminated employees were given two weeks of extra pay.”
In context“Human Resources conducted exit interviews with the terminated staff to ensure all company property was returned.”
Teacher's tipThis is a very formal way to say someone was fired; it is common in HR documents but can sound cold in conversation.
“His role at a Cambridge college was terminated in 2024 after backlash to his view that, under a true meritocracy, black people would "disappear from almost all high-profile positions outside of sports and entertainment".”
“Unable to find someone to cover her shift, she said her part-time job in a sandwich shop was terminated .”
From terminate + -ed.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.