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 Taiwanese Ministry of National Defense has stated that live-fire drills are taking place in its territorial waters, approximately 12 nautical miles (22 km) from its coastline. Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 5 Jan. 2026 The Fitburg was dragging its anchor in the sea, and was directed to Finnish territorial waters, the police and Finland's Border Guard said. Reuters, NBC news, 31 Dec. 2025 However, no warplanes or warships had entered Taiwan’s territorial waters or airspace so far, Hsieh said. Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 29 Dec. 2025 Trump’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles, a longtime Florida political consultant, justified military action within Venezuelan territorial waters — not just in international waters — in a wide-ranging interview with Vanity Fair released this week. Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 16 Dec. 2025 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Territorial waters.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/territorial%20waters. Accessed 8 Jan. 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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