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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Meta's platforms and YouTube require users to at least be 13 years old, according to their respective terms of service. Yi-Jin Yu, ABC News, 27 Mar. 2026 Children cannot evaluate terms of service, cannot negotiate platform architecture, and cannot assess the neurological implications of engagement-maximizing design. Carolina Rossini, The Conversation, 26 Mar. 2026 Of greater concern, Hui suggested, are the inconsistent terms of service that exist from one AI platform to the next. Marcus Lim, Variety, 18 Mar. 2026 The company's terms of service also state that users are responsible for following applicable laws and using the glasses in a safe and respectful manner. Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 8 Mar. 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 5 Apr. 2026.

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