# terminated

/ˈtɝməˌneɪtɪd/ (US) · /tˈɜːmɪnˌeɪtɪd/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/terminated
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. ended something

verb · CEFR B2 · Formal

the past tense of 'terminate', meaning you ended something officially.

For teachers: the past tense and past participle of the transitive verb 'terminate', indicating the official conclusion of an agreement or process.

- The company terminated the contract because the work was not finished on time.
- The legal department terminated the partnership agreement immediately after the breach of confidentiality was discovered.

Usage: Often used in legal or business contexts with a direct object.

### 2. having ended

adjective · CEFR B2 · Formal

describes something that has finished or reached its final point.

For teachers: describing a state in which a process, sequence, or legal status has reached its conclusion.

- The terminated project was archived so the team could focus on new tasks.
- The report detailed all terminated accounts that had shown no activity for over twenty-four months.

### 3. fired from a job

adjective · CEFR B2 · Formal

describes someone who has been told they no longer have a job.

For teachers: referring to an individual whose employment has been ended by the employer.

- The terminated employees were given two weeks of extra pay.
- Human Resources conducted exit interviews with the terminated staff to ensure all company property was returned.

Teaching tip: This is a very formal way to say someone was fired; it is common in HR documents but can sound cold in conversation.

## Examples

- The company terminated his contract after he missed several deadlines.
- The landlord decided to terminate the lease early because the tenants were not following the rules.
- The software automatically terminated the connection once it detected a security breach in the network's firewall.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.