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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The Colombian government maintains control of the wreck site within its territorial waters. Aurora Martínez, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 June 2025 The navigable shipping lanes for massive supertankers are only about two miles wide in each direction, requiring vessels to pass through both Iranian and Omani territorial waters. John Liu, CNN Money, 23 June 2025 The Japan Coast Guard said four Chinese Coast Guard ships were spotted near the Senkaku Islands on Sunday, sailing within the islands' contiguous zone—a maritime area that extends up to 27.6 miles from the coastline and lies beyond its 13.8-mile-wide territorial waters. Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 June 2025 Already, roughly a dozen U.S. Navy vessels are in Bahrain's territorial waters away from post, according to a Defense Department official, who said that the ships do not have any official tasking. Shannon K. Kingston, ABC News, 17 June 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 29 Jun. 2025.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on territorial waters

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