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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The Caffa was sailing in Swedish territorial waters Friday under a Guinean flag when officials felt suspicious of the craft, Swedish police said in a statement. ABC News, 7 Mar. 2026 There has been widespread GNSS spoofing and AIS manipulation, where tankers are digitally hijacked and tricked into displaying false coordinates that lead them into restricted territorial waters for seizure. Siddharth Misra, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2026 The British Navy, meanwhile, reported a large explosion at a tanker anchored in Iraqi territorial waters. Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 6 Mar. 2026 Sri Lanka’s Minister of Health Nalinda Jayatissa reportedly told parliament Thursday that another Iranian vessel is sailing close to Sri Lanka’s territorial waters. Callum Sutherland, Time, 5 Mar. 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 14 Mar. 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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