term

1. 1

   That which limits the extent of anything; limit, extremity, bound, boundary, terminus.

   • Corruption is a reciprocal to generation, and they two are as nature's two terms, or boundaries.
   • At the decline of day, Winding above the mountain’s snowy term, New banners shone: […]
2. 2

   A condition or restriction.; Any of the binding conditions or promises in a contract or agreement.oftenplural

   • Be sure to read the terms and conditions before signing.
   • Alright, look...we can spend the holidays with your parents, but this time it will be on my terms.
3. 3

   A condition or restriction.; Specifically, the conditions in a legal contract that specify the price and also how and when payment must be made.in-plural

   • Q: What are your company's terms? A: Net thirty, cash or check. [This answer means that the net total must be paid within 30 days; see Net D.]
   • The latest models are available now, on the lowest terms you'll find anywhere, guaranteed.
4. 4

   A chronological limitation or division.; A limited or defined timespan.

   • The term of a lease agreement is the period of time during which the lease is effective, and may be fixed, periodic, or of indefinite duration.
   • He was sentenced to a term of six years in prison.
5. 5

   A chronological limitation or division.; Duration of officeholding, or its limit; period in office of fixed length.

   • The president is almost half way through his term.
6. 6

   A chronological limitation or division.; The time during which legal courts are open.

7. 7

   A chronological limitation or division.; Certain days on which rent is paid.

8. 8

   A chronological limitation or division.; Part of a year, especially one of the divisions of an academic year.

   • At our school, sports day was always held at the end of the summer term.
9. 9

   A chronological limitation or division.; With respect to a pregnancy, the usual duration of gestation for the given species (for example, nine months in humans); (metonymic) the end of this duration: the timepoint at which birth usually happens (for example, in humans, approximately 40 weeks from conception), defining the due date.

   • A pregnancy didn't come to term.
   • at term
10. 10

    A chronological limitation or division.; A menstrual period.archaic

    • My wife, after the absence of her terms for seven weeks, gave me hopes of her being with child, but on the last day of the year she hath them again.

syn. term

1. 1

   To phrase a certain way; to name or call.transitive

   • Abstraction or prescision ought to be carefully distinguished from two other modes of mental separation, which may be termed discrimination and dissociation.

1. 1

   Born or delivered at term.colloquialnot-comparable

   • term neonate

1. 1

   A computer program that emulates a physical terminal.informal

syn. term

1. 1

   To terminate someone's employment.ambitransitiveinformal

2. 2

   To delete someone's account.informaltransitive

syn. axe · fire · sack

1. 1

   One whose employment has been terminated

syn. term