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
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Since then, most ships seeking to exit or enter have sought approval from the IRGC, which mined the main channel and created another path through its territorial waters. Jason Ma, Fortune, 30 May 2026 Securing a government’s sign-off to enter its territorial waters can take a month or more. Ramin Skibba, Scientific American, 27 May 2026 Aysha Bagchi Cuba's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in 1996 that the two planes, which took off from Florida, violated airspace over Cuban territorial waters. Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 20 May 2026 The flotilla interceptions occurred outside Cypriot territorial waters. Suzan Fraser, Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for territorial waters

Word History

First Known Use

1841, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of territorial waters was in 1841

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Cite this Entry

“Territorial waters.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/territorial%20waters. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.

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

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