in terms of (something)

1. As measured with a certain type of unit or category. We track our shipments in terms of weight, rather than individual units. The tragedy caused billions in damage, but the biggest losses were in terms of lives. Your son is far behind his classmates in terms of reading level—that's why I want him to get tutoring.

2. Regarding; in reference to. In terms of the merger, I'm afraid I can't provide any more details at this time. That's the dumbest movie I've ever seen. It has absolutely no value in terms of culture or quality. She only takes after her mother in terms of hair color. Really, their features look nothing alike.

See also: of, term

in terms of something

regarding something; concerning something. I don't know what to do in terms of John's problem. Now, in terms of your proposal, don't you think you're asking for too much?

See also: of, term

in terms of

1. As measured or indicated by, on the basis of. For example, How far is it in terms of miles? This usage originated in mathematics, where it alludes to numerical units. [Mid-1700s]

2. In relation to, with reference to, as in This film offers nothing in terms of satisfactory entertainment. [Late 1800s]

See also: of, term

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

in terms of

1. As measured or indicated by; in units of: distances expressed in terms of kilometers as well as miles; cheap entertainment, but costly in terms of time wasted.

2. In relation to; with reference to: "narcissistic parents who ... interpret their child's experience entirely in terms of their own history" (Richard Weissbourd).

See also: of, term

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

See also:

References in periodicals archive

Historically, Congress and INS have devoted over five times more resources in terms of staff and budget on border enforcement than on interior enforcement.

Homeland Security: Challenges to Implementing the Immigration Interior Enforcement Strategy

One participant, an immigrant who asked to remain anonymous, explained," In terms of the anti-repression movement, there hasn't really been a nationwide effort yet.

And now they come for the students...: from computerized tracking to fee hikes, the government is cracking down on America's immigrant students. (Report)

The researchers argue that this apparent quirk makes sense in terms of a much-debated view that predators at the top of a food chain influence its character more than their prey do.

Predators shape river world top-down

The 9mm loads, .40 S&W loads, .357 Magnum 110-grain, 10mm Medium-Velocity and .45 ACP 185-grain loads were rated good to excellent in terms of recoil control.

PROTECTING AMERICAN BORDERS

Rather, the final agreement was a new deal significantly different from its predecessor, both in terms of what would be sold and who would receive the proceeds.

Intangibles were shareholder's assets, not corporate property

Dunham has methodically intensified the surface, chromatics, and figurative content of his work over the past five years, but in his most recent show the artist noticeably raised the stakes of his paintings in terms of their recognizable content, and even managed to crank up what we might call their retinal decibel level.

Carroll Dunham: Metro Pictures