- term
- term1 W1S1 [tə:m US tə:rm] n▬▬▬▬▬▬▬1 in terms of something2 in general/practical/financial etc terms3¦(word)¦4¦(period of time)¦5¦(school/university)¦6¦(end)¦7 come to terms with something8¦(conditions)¦9¦(relationship)¦10 terms of reference11¦(number/sign)¦▬▬▬▬▬▬▬[Date: 1200-1300; : Old French; Origin: terme 'edge, limit, end', from Latin terminus]1.) in terms of sthif you explain or describe something in terms of a particular fact or event, you are explaining or describing it only in relation to that fact or eventdescribe/measure/evaluate etc sth in terms of sth▪ Femininity is still defined in terms of beauty.▪ It's a mistake to think of Florida only in terms of its tourist attractions.▪ It's too early to start talking in terms of casualties.in terms of what/how/who etc▪ Did the experiment find any differences in terms of what children learned?2.) in general/practical/financial etc termsused to show that you are describing or considering a subject in a particular way or from a particular point of viewin general/broad/simple etc terms▪ We explain in simple terms what the treatment involves.▪ It would be wrong to describe society purely in economic terms .▪ The war, although successful in military terms , left the economy in ruins.▪ What do these statistics mean in human terms ?in sb's terms▪ In our terms, the scheme has not been a success.in real/absolute terms(=accurate, true, or including any related changes)▪ Rail fares have fallen 17 per cent in real terms.in relative terms(=compared with other, similar things)▪ Students have less money in relative terms, but spend more on books.3.) ¦(WORD)¦a word or expression with a particular meaning, especially one that is used for a specific subject or type of languageterm for▪ 'Multimedia' is the term for any technique combining sounds and images.legal/medical/technical term▪ Many legal terms have more than one meaning.▪ photographs, or to use the technical term , 'half-tones'▪ It was he who coined (=invented) the term 'anorexia'.term of abuse/endearment/respect etc(=rude, loving, respectful etc language)▪ The word 'communist' had become a term of abuse.in strong/glowing/forthright etc terms(=showing a strong etc emotion or attitude)▪ I complained to the manager in the strongest possible terms .▪ His reply was couched in sinister terms .in no uncertain terms(=language that is very clear and angry)▪ Journalists were told, in no uncertain terms , that they were not welcome.4.) ¦(PERIOD OF TIME)¦a fixed period of time during which someone does something or something happensterm in office(=the time someone spends doing an important job in government)▪ It was always clear that Schmidt's third term in office would prove a difficult one.term of▪ the maximum term of imprisonment▪ The lease runs for a term of 99 years.prison/jail term▪ The men each received a 30-year prison term.fixed/long/short term▪ a fixed-term contract▪ In the long term , alcohol causes high blood pressure.▪ Dad loaned us his car for the short term.5.) ¦(SCHOOL/UNIVERSITY)¦ [U and C]BrE one of the three periods of time that the school or university year is divided intosummer/autumn/spring term▪ The exams are at the end of the summer term.▪ Teachers often feel overworked in term time (=during the term) .first/last day of term▪ that all-important first day of term6.) ¦(END)¦ [singular, U]technical the end of a particular period of time→↑long-term, short-term ↑short-term▪ The agreement reaches its term next year.▪ a child born two months before full term (=of pregnancy)▪ The arrangement had outlived its natural term (=the length of time it was expected to exist) .7.) come to terms with sthto accept an unpleasant or sad situation and no longer feel upset or angry about it▪ George and Elizabeth have come to terms with the fact that they will never have children.▪ Counselling helped her come to terms with her grief.8.) ¦(CONDITIONS)¦terms [plural]a) the conditions that are set for an agreement, contract, arrangement etc▪ Under the terms of the agreement, the debt would be repaid over 20 years.▪ your terms and conditions of employment▪ Delivery is within the terms of this contract.equal/unequal/the same etc terms(=conditions that are equal, unequal etc)▪ Small businesses have to compete on equal terms with large organisations.▪ Men and women should be able to work on level terms .on sb's (own) terms(=according to the conditions that someone wants)▪ He wanted our relationship to be only on his terms.b) the arrangements for payment that you agree to when you buy or sell somethingreasonable/favourable/cheaper etc terms▪ Some insurance companies offer very reasonable terms.▪ This allowed tenant farmers to buy land on easy terms (=by paying small sums of money over a long period) .9.) ¦(RELATIONSHIP)¦terms [plural]if you are on good, bad etc terms with someone, you have a good, bad etc relationship with thembe on good/bad/friendly etc terms (with sb)▪ By now, Usha and I were on familiar terms .▪ He is barely on speaking terms with his father (=they are angry and almost never speak to each other) .▪ We were soon on first-name terms (=using each other's first names, as a sign of friendship) .10.) terms of referenceformal the subjects that a person or group of people agree to consider▪ the committee's terms of reference11.) ¦(NUMBER/SIGN)¦ technicalone of the numbers or signs used in a mathematical calculation▬▬▬▬▬▬▬HINT sense 5At a British school or university, the year is divided into three terms . At an American univeristy, there are two semesters or three trimesters .▬▬▬▬▬▬▬term 2term2 v [T usually passive]to use a particular word or expression to name or describe something▪ This condition is sometimes termed RSI, or repetitive strain injury.▪ Roosevelt termed himself and his policies 'liberal'.▪ These developments are loosely termed 'advanced manufacturing techniques'.
Dictionary of contemporary English. 2013.