terms of service

plural noun

: the legal terms (see term entry 1 sense 4) that set forth the nature, scope, and limits of a service (such as one offered through a website or an app) and the rules that the service's users must agree to follow
… Twitter users' complaints alerted the company that three of his messages violated the terms of serviceJake Tapper
… most people have no idea what is signed away when they click "agree" to binding terms of service contracts—again and again on phones, laptops, tablets, watches, e-readers and televisions.The New York Times
abbreviation TOS

Examples of terms of service in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Jones acknowledged that his actions not only broke the law, but also violated the NBA’s code of conduct and the sports betting websites’ terms of service. Michael R. Sisak, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026 YouTube’s terms of service prohibit creators from creating or owning new channels after a termination. Todd Spangler, Variety, 23 Apr. 2026 If sovereignty could be purchased on a subscription basis, the terms of service would ensure that power remained in private hands. Ben Tarnoff, Big Think, 23 Apr. 2026 That’s despite Microsoft admitting in its own Copilot terms of service that the AI shouldn’t be relied upon for virtually any important work. Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 8 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for terms of service

Word History

First Known Use

1994, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of terms of service was in 1994

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Cite this Entry

“Terms of service.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/terms%20of%20service. Accessed 2 May. 2026.

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