term (redirected from term for years)

come to terms (with someone or something)

1. to come to an agreement with someone. I finally came to terms with my lawyer about his fee. Bob, you have to come to terms with your father.

2. to learn to accept someone or something. She had to come to terms with the loss of her sight. She couldn't come to terms with her estranged husband.

See also: come

contradiction in terms

a statement containing a seeming contradiction. A wealthy pauper is a contradiction in terms. A straight-talking politician may seem to be a contradiction in terms.

See also: contradiction

in glowing terms

Fig. using words of praise; using complimentary expressions. The college president described his accomplishments in glowing terms and awarded him with an honorary degree.

See also: glow

in no uncertain terms

Cliché in very specific and direct language. I was so mad. I told her in no uncertain terms to leave and never come back. I told him in no uncertain terms to stop calling me.

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?

on good terms (with someone)

friendly with someone; able to interact well and be friends with someone. Bill is on good terms with the people he works with. We are not on very good terms and don't speak to each other much.

See also: good

on speaking terms (with someone)

on friendly terms with someone. (Often with the negative.) I'm not on speaking terms with Mary. We had a serious disagreement. We're not on speaking terms.

See also: speaking

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not be on speaking terms

to be refusing to talk to someone because you have had an argument and are still angry with them (often + with ) She's not on speaking terms with her ex-husband. Jeanette and her mother haven't been on speaking terms since the wedding.

See be speaking out of both sides of mouth

See also: speaking

a contradiction in terms

a phrase that is confusing because it contains words that seem to have opposite meanings A British summer is a bit of a contradiction in terms. Euro Disney always seems to me a contradiction in terms because Disney is so typically American.

See also: contradiction

be on good terms with somebody

to be friendly with someone We were always on good terms with our neighbours.

See also: good

come to terms with something

to start to accept and deal with a difficult situation She's never really come to terms with her son's death. It's very hard coming to terms with the fact that you'll never have children.

See be on good terms with

See also: come

in no uncertain terms

if someone tells you something in no uncertain terms, they say it in a strong and direct way We were told in no uncertain terms that dishonesty would not be tolerated.

in the long/medium/short term

a long, medium, or short time in the future Cuts in company spending now should lead to profits in the long term. In the short term, temporary housing will be provided for all of the flood victims.

See also: long

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come to terms with something

to begin to accept and deal with something difficult or unpleasant She's never really come to terms with her son's death. It's very hard coming to terms with the fact that you'll never have children.

Related vocabulary: come to grips with something

See also: come

in no uncertain terms

very clearly She was told in no uncertain terms that the magazine had no interest in her short stories.

in terms of something

in relation to something Cheryl was speaking in terms of improving students' grades by teaching them how to study. Getting laid off from his job affected him more emotionally than in terms of the loss of income. Related vocabulary: with regard to something

in the long term also for the long term

involving a long period of time Better teacher training will make a big difference to the school in the long term. For the long term, we hope our plans will create a large number of jobs.

Related vocabulary: take the long view

See also: long

in the short term also for the short term

in the near future In the short term, the tax would bring money into the treasury, but after that, it would cost the government more each year.

See also: short

on good terms (with somebody)

friendly with someone or with each other Although she is on good terms with her parents now, Angie said she doesn't want to live with them, even for a short time. Even after their divorce, they remained on good terms.

Usage notes: also on bad terms (with someone), with the opposite meaning: She and her brother have been on bad terms for many years.

See also: good

on speaking terms

friendly enough to talk We have heard from various people that the coach is barely on speaking terms with his best pitcher.

Usage notes: often used in the form not on speaking terms: The two nations have not been on speaking terms for a couple of decades.

See also: speaking

over the long term

for a long period of time for the long haul Experts say it's the best place over the long term to put your savings.

See also: long

over the short term

for a brief period of time only Profits will rise over the short term, but over the long term, no one really can predict.

See also: short