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 service …—
Jake Tapper
Jake 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
The New York TimesExamples of terms of service in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
After being notified of the action, Musk’s company almost immediately countersued the conservative influencer, accusing her of violating the platform’s terms of service, which state any disputes with X must be brought in Texas.
—Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 28 Jan. 2026
Since splitting from its Chinese parent company in January 2026, TikTok has introduced new terms of service and privacy policies, including some changes that are sparking concerns among users.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
Almost immediately after oversight of TikTok’s US operations changed, misinformation started to spread about changes to the app’s new terms of service, including those that applied to location sharing and data collection, Fiesler said.
—Scottie Andrew, CNN Money, 27 Jan. 2026
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, previously said in a statement that accounts imitating other people go against their terms of service and are removed when flagged.
—Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for terms of service
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 28 Jan. 2026
Since splitting from its Chinese parent company in January 2026, TikTok has introduced new terms of service and privacy policies, including some changes that are sparking concerns among users.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
Almost immediately after oversight of TikTok’s US operations changed, misinformation started to spread about changes to the app’s new terms of service, including those that applied to location sharing and data collection, Fiesler said.
—Scottie Andrew, CNN Money, 27 Jan. 2026
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, previously said in a statement that accounts imitating other people go against their terms of service and are removed when flagged.
—Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for terms of service
Cite this Entry
“Terms of service.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/terms%20of%20service. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
