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
An oil tanker transiting the Strait of Hormuz was intercepted by smaller vessels and diverted into Iranian territorial waters, the private security firm Ambrey said on Friday.
—
Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 2025
Coast Guard Oceania District works in conjunction with U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and interagency partners to constantly monitor the activity of foreign military vessels operating near U.S. territorial waters to ensure homeland security and defense.
—Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 14 Nov. 2025
China has been challenging the boundaries of Taiwan’s contiguous zone—an area of 24 nautical miles around the island—and is threatening to violate its territorial waters, which stretch 12 nautical miles from its shores.
—Marvin Park, Foreign Affairs, 22 Oct. 2025
Later on Thursday, the Venezuelan government issued a statement saying the aircraft had been detected 75 kilometers (about 46 miles) from its coastline, miles away from standard territorial waters which are typically 12 nautical miles from the coast.
—Michael Rios, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for territorial waters
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Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 2025
Coast Guard Oceania District works in conjunction with U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and interagency partners to constantly monitor the activity of foreign military vessels operating near U.S. territorial waters to ensure homeland security and defense.
—Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 14 Nov. 2025
China has been challenging the boundaries of Taiwan’s contiguous zone—an area of 24 nautical miles around the island—and is threatening to violate its territorial waters, which stretch 12 nautical miles from its shores.
—Marvin Park, Foreign Affairs, 22 Oct. 2025
Later on Thursday, the Venezuelan government issued a statement saying the aircraft had been detected 75 kilometers (about 46 miles) from its coastline, miles away from standard territorial waters which are typically 12 nautical miles from the coast.
—Michael Rios, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for territorial waters
Cite this Entry
“Territorial waters.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/territorial%20waters. Accessed 29 Nov. 2025.
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