Which command will terminate a currently running process?

The command used to terminate a currently running process in Linux is "kill." This command sends a signal to the specified process, which can instruct it to terminate. By default, if no signal is specified, the kill command sends the TERM signal, requesting the process to exit gracefully, allowing it to clean up resources and finish any tasks.

Using kill effectively requires the process ID (PID) of the target process. For example, to terminate a process with PID 1234, you would use the command kill 1234. If the process does not terminate with the TERM signal, you can use other signals like KILL or SIGKILL, which forcefully terminate the process without allowing it to clean up.

The other options do not function as process termination commands in the same context. "stop" is used to pause a process but does not terminate it. "exit" is relevant for ending the current shell session or script rather than terminating a separate running process. "terminate" is also not a standard command in Linux for handling processes. Therefore, understanding how and when to use the kill command is essential for managing processes effectively in a Linux environment.