territory

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noun ter·ri·to·ry \ ˈter-ə-ˌtȯr-ē \

Definition of territory

plural -ries

1 a :a geographic area belonging to or under the jurisdiction of a governmental authority

b :an administrative subdivision of a country

c :a part of the U.S. not included within any state but organized with a separate legislature

d :a geographic area (such as a colonial possession) dependent on an external government but having some degree of autonomy

2 a :an indeterminate geographic area

b :a field of knowledge or interest

3 a :an assigned area; especially :one in which a sales representative or distributor operates

b :an area often including a nesting or denning site and a variable foraging range that is occupied and defended by an animal or group of animals

— go with the territory or come with the territory

:to be a natural or unavoidable aspect or accompaniment of a particular situation, position, or field

criticism goes with the territory in this job

See territory defined for English-language learners

See territory defined for kids

Examples of territory in a Sentence

Those mountains are in Mexican territory.
Guam is a U.S. territory.
The birds are busy establishing territories and building nests.
Male cats spray to mark territory.
The goal of the expedition is to map unexplored territory.

Recent Examples of territory from the Web

A 17-gun salute honors those who held the office of governor in a U.S. territory, as well as military admirals and generals.

— nicole blanchard, idahostatesman, "What exactly is a 19-gun salute? Watch today’s tribute to Gov. Andrus," 30 Aug. 2017
Environment: Popular Beargrass Creek trail to Cherokee Park will be closed for 2 1/2 years More: West Nile virus strikes 4 Kentuckians. 1 case confirmed in Louisville There can be more than one nest in a nesting territory, Slankard said.

— james bruggers, The Courier-Journal, "Kentucky's bald eagle population reaches new heights," 29 Aug. 2017
Former President Barack Obama eliminated the wet foot, dry foot policy in January, which had allowed any undocumented Cuban who set foot on U.S. territory to remain under a special parole.

— nora gámez torres, miamiherald, "U.S. detention strategy for asylum seekers: release the women, lock up the men," 29 Aug. 2017
As the city moves forward with redevelopment plans, council members will be venturing into uncharted territory.

— erin hegarty, Naperville Sun, "Questions continue on size, process for Naperville 5th Avenue redevelopment," 29 Aug. 2017
Nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan each administer part of Kashmir, but both claim the territory in its entirety.

— aijaz hussain, The Seattle Times, "Rebels storm Indian police camp in Kashmir; 10 killed," 26 Aug. 2017
Non-stealthy bombers such as the B-52H could stand off at a distance and kick in the door for stealthy bombers (but would be unable to accompany the B-2A and B-21 into hostile enemy territory).

— kyle mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "America Is Building a New, Stealthy Nuclear Cruise Missile," 24 Aug. 2017
When the North Korean regime of Kim Jong Un threatened to fire a nuclear weapon toward the U.S. territory of Guam, President Trump predicted that the added attention from the threat would increase tourism to the tiny island in the Pacific Ocean.

— hugo martin, chicagotribune.com, "Trump might be right that North Korea's threat to Guam will boost tourism," 23 Aug. 2017
The two tow operators are heard on the recordings complaining about not getting enough jobs through the county and asking for more territory.

— craig lyons, Post-Tribune, "In Day 9 of trial, Lake County Sheriff Buncich takes stand, denies wrongdoing in corruption case," 17 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'territory.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of territory

Middle English, from Latin territorium, literally, land around a town, from terra land — more at ¹terrace

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First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

territory Synonyms

Synonyms

habitat, niche, range, home

Related Words

element, environment, environs, haunt, locality, milieu, neighborhood, setting, surroundings

Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

TERRITORY Defined for English Language Learners

territory

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noun

Definition of territory for English Language Learners

: an area of land that belongs to or is controlled by a government
: one of the parts of the United States that is not a state
: any one of the large parts that some countries are divided into

TERRITORY Defined for Kids

territory

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noun ter·ri·to·ry \ ˈter-ə-ˌtȯr-ē \

Definition of territory for Students

plural territories

1 :a geographical area belonging to or under the rule of a government

2 :a part of the United States not included within any state but organized with a separate governing body

3 :region 1, district

4 :an area that is occupied and defended by an animal or group of animals

Word Root of territory

The Latin word terra, meaning “earth,” “land,” or “ground,” gives us the root terr. Words from the Latin terra have something to do with the earth or land. A territory is an area of land ruled by a particular government. A terrace is a piece of land with a flat top. Anything terrestrial lives on land and not in water.

Law Dictionary

territory

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noun ter·ri·to·ry \ ˈter-ə-ˌtōr-ē \

legal Definition of territory

plural -ries

1 :a geographical area belonging to or under the jurisdiction of a governmental authority

2 :a political subdivision of a country

3 :a part of the U.S. (as Guam or the U.S. Virgin Islands) not included within any state but organized with a separate legislature — compare trust territory

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