ter·ri·to·ri·al·ism | \ ˌter-ə-ˈtȯr-ē-ə-ˌli-zəm 
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\Definition of territorialism
1 : landlordism
2 : the principle established in 1555 requiring the inhabitants of a territory of the Holy Roman Empire to conform to the religion of their ruler or to emigrate
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Other Words from territorialism
territorialist \ ˌter-ə-ˈtȯr-ē-ə-list \ noun
\ nounExamples of territorialism in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web This territorialism, says Gehrt, could be a factor that will limit their spread.
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National Geographic, "Coyotes have expanded their range to 49 states—and show no signs of stopping.," 29 Nov. 2019 The leaders also see growing territorialism and climate change as the top risks to their businesses from overseas.
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Sangeeta Tanwar, Quartz India, "Indian CEOs are far less optimistic about the global economy this year," 11 July 2019 Experts say the turkey’s extreme territorialism, especially in males, programs them to assert their dominance — whether over another turkey or a human.
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Aditi Shrikant, BostonGlobe.com, "When wild animals urbanize," 13 July 2018 Accounts of bullying for Birds and territorialism over Limes are showing up across the internet, complete with reports of break-ins and shakedowns.
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Anna-sofia Lesiv, The Seattle Times, "The cutthroat turf war behind the race to charge Bay Area electric scooters," 10 July 2018 The less kindly purpose, though valuable in its own right, is to signal to Bro that any territorialism around their couple time is coming from inside his house!!
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Carolyn Hax, idahostatesman, "Brother and his new wife perceive every invitation as a threat to couple time | Idaho Statesman," 9 Jan. 2018 Hill: There’s a certain territorialism that comes along with being a fan of something for a long time when new fans come along.
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USA TODAY, "How 'Doctor Who' landed in America: New book tells the story," 21 Aug. 2017 All agreed that fear of failure remains a significant barrier to internal innovation, but so does territorialism, warns Wadwhani.
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Ellen Mcgirt, Fortune, "How to Get a Fortune 500 Company to Act Like a Startup," 18 July 2017 Using factors such as territorialism of the bluebirds and the amount of feeding space in the Village, Hensen launched an effort to reduce the number of bluebird nesting boxes.
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Emily Rasmussen, Orange County Register, "Bluebirds seeking new digs after houses removed," 18 Apr. 2017
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'territorialism.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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Time Traveler for territorialism
The first known use of territorialism was in 1881
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