How do you terminate a running process in Linux?

Terminating a running process in Linux is most effectively achieved through the kill command. This command sends a signal to a process, instructing it to terminate. By default, the kill command sends the SIGTERM signal, which requests the process to close gracefully, allowing it to clean up resources before exiting. If the process does not terminate in response to SIGTERM, it is possible to use the kill command with the SIGKILL signal, which forcibly ends the process without allowing it to perform cleanup.

The options that refer to the stop, terminate, and end commands do not exist in the standard Linux command set for managing processes. Using these nonexistent commands would not result in any action being taken on a running process, highlighting the importance of understanding the correct commands available in the Linux environment. The kill command, therefore, is the appropriate and standard method for terminating processes effectively.