territorial waters

plural noun

: the waters under the sovereign jurisdiction of a nation or state including both marginal sea and inland waters

Examples of territorial waters in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This split creates a situation where species prohibited under federal rules may still be legally landed if caught within territorial waters. — Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026

That law predates the much wider United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which took effect in 1994, giving ships the right of innocent passage through any country's territorial waters without paying a fee. — Joanne Stocker, CBS News, 1 July 2026

The strait has long been considered an international waterway despite being in Iran and Oman’s territorial waters. — Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2026

Though Britain extended its territorial waters in 1987, thus enveloping Sealand, the micronation has continued to assert its sovereignty under the Bates family. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1841, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for territorial waters

• backwaters
• breakwaters
• floodwaters
• granddaughters
• groundwaters
• headwaters
• shearwaters
• wastewaters
• blotters
• daughters
• otters
• plotters

Legal Definition

territorial waters

noun plural

territorial wa·​ters

: the waters under the sovereign jurisdiction of a nation or state including both marginal sea and inland waters