Definition

Noun: A building at an airport where passengers arrive, depart, or transfer between flights. It houses facilities for check-in, security, baggage claim, and waiting areas for gates.

Usage

The term "airport terminal" refers specifically to the main passenger building(s) of an airport complex. * We need to go to Terminal 3 for our international flight. * The new airport terminal has many shops and restaurants. * After landing, we walked for ten minutes to reach the main airport terminal.

Advanced Usage

• "Domestic/International terminal": Specifies a terminal dedicated to flights within a country or to/from other countries.
  • The domestic terminal is much smaller than the international one.
• In formal and technical contexts (e.g., aviation, logistics), "terminal" alone is often sufficient when the context is clear.
  • The aircraft is taxiing to the terminal.

Variants and Related Words

• Terminal (n): A shorter, more common form of "airport terminal." It can also refer to similar facilities for other forms of transport (e.g., bus terminal, ferry terminal).
• Concourse (n): A large open space inside a terminal where the departure gates are located.
• Aerodrome terminal (n): A less common, more formal synonym, primarily used in British English or technical documents.

Synonyms

• Air terminal
• Passenger terminal

Related Phrases

• Terminal building: A phrase emphasizing the physical structure.
  • The terminal building was designed by a famous architect.

Noun

1. a terminal that serves air travelers or air freight