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
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.
The video-sharing platform has since removed the video for violating its terms of service. Alexandria Burris, IndyStar, 4 July 2025 However, some browser extensions may have security risks or violate TikTok's terms of service. Alexis Simmerman, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025 Clear but unenforced policies TikTok's terms of service ban this kind of content. ArsTechnica, 2 July 2025 My analysis of that document and the company’s terms of service agreement follows this Q&A. How does Soax obtain residential proxies? Kim Key, PC Magazine, 1 July 2025 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 21 Jul. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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