term

noun (TIME)

/tɜːm/

/tɝːm/

Definition

› [C] the fixed period of time that something lasts for: He received a prison term for drunk driving. The government's term of office (= the period in which they have power) expires at the end of the year.Periods of time - general words A2 [C] mainly UK one of the periods into which a year is divided at school, college, or university: In Britain, the spring term starts in January and ends just before Easter. We're very busy in term-time (= during the term). → Compare quarter, semesterSchools in generalUniversity and college education › [C] formal the period of time that a legal agreement lasts for: The lease on our house is near the end of its term.Periods of time - general words › [U] specialized the end of a pregnancy when a baby is expected to be born: Her last pregnancy went to term (= the baby was born after the expected number of weeks). a full-term pregnancyPregnancyBirth in the long/medium/short term B2 for a long, medium, or short period of time in the future: Taking this decision will cost us more in the short term, but will be beneficial in the long term.In the future and soon

(Definition of term noun (TIME) from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)