How to pronounce terminate
Say it like TUR-muh-nayt. Terminate has three syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (TUR).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce terminate. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- TUR
- muh
- nayt
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Terminate pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- TURSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ur" in nurse.
- muhKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the relaxed "uh" in about.
- naytGive this part a little weight. The vowel is the "ay" in day.
American vs British pronunciation of terminate
- Americans pronounce the r after a vowel; most British speakers leave it silent and lengthen the vowel instead.
British respelling: TUR-mih-nayt.
What does terminate mean?
- bring to an end or halt“She ended their friendship when she found out that he had once been convicted of a crime”“The attack on Poland terminated the relatively peaceful period after WW I”
- have an end, in a temporal, spatial, or quantitative sense; either spatial or metaphorical“the bronchioles terminate in a capillary bed”“Your rights stop where you infringe upon the rights of other”
- be the end of; be the last or concluding part of“This sad scene ended the movie”
Where does terminate come from?
From Middle English terminaten (“to bring to an end; to adjudicate; to end, stop; to border, confine, contain”) from terminat(e) (“bounded”, also used as the past participle of terminaten) + -en (verb-forming suffix), borrowed from Latin te
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with terminate
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of terminate.
Questions about saying terminate
How do you pronounce terminate?
Say TUR-muh-nayt. The American pronunciation is /ˈtɝməˌneɪt/. In British English it is /ˈtɜːmɪˌneɪt/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in terminate?
Terminate has three syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (TUR). Broken into parts: TUR · muh · nayt.
Is terminate pronounced differently in British English?
Yes. Americans pronounce the r after a vowel; most British speakers leave it silent and lengthen the vowel instead. The British form is /ˈtɜːmɪˌneɪt/ (TUR-mih-nayt).