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

Spain disputes this outright, arguing the 1713 treaty ceded only the land and never granted Gibraltar any territorial waters at all. — Frank Ahrens, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026

The defence ministry said that the drone was shot down above Romanian territorial waters. — Tim Lister, CNN Money, 26 July 2026

The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow channel in Iranian and Omani territorial waters but open under international law to freedom of navigation. — Jane Arraf, NPR, 22 July 2026

Tehran is demanding that all ships use a northern route through its territorial waters. — Brian Sullivan,spencer Kimball, CNBC, 13 July 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