territory

noun

ter·ri·to·ry | \ ˈter-ə-ˌtȯr-ē

plural territories

Definition of territory

1a : 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

2a : an indeterminate geographic area

b : a field of knowledge or interest

3a : 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

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Synonyms for territory

Synonyms

habitat, home, niche, range

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 on the Web

Throughout the season, the Santos and the Prophet$ battled for territory in Freeridge after their truce was broken up. — Tamara Fuentes, Seventeen, "Everything We Know About "On My Block" Season 3," 30 Apr. 2019 Should that prediction prove true, that puts 2018 in average and below-average territory. — Chris Morris, Fortune, "The 2018 Atlantic Hurricane Season Is Not Expected to Be as Bad as Forecasters Originally Predicted," 5 July 2018 The Duke of Cambridge is the first member of the royal family to make an official visit to the Jewish state and the Palestinian territories. — Kainaz Amaria, Vox, "2018, explained in pictures by women and non-binary photographers," 21 Dec. 2018 For entrepreneurs, dealing with a work crisis on vacation comes with the territory. — Barbara Haislip, WSJ, "What Happens When Entrepreneurs Go On Vacation—and a Crisis Hits," 28 Apr. 2019 The majority of Arizona is on permanent standard time, and year-round DST is followed by Hawaii and the territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Minor Outlying Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. — Dani Deahl, The Verge, "California moves toward permanent daylight saving time," 7 Nov. 2018 At launch, Waymo will only offer service in one part of the Phoenix metropolitan area but will expand the service territory over time. — Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, "Waymo’s excruciatingly gradual launch process, explained," 31 Oct. 2018 Earlier Wednesday, the IDF said shots were fired from Gaza at civilians working on the barrier that separates the territory and Israel, damaging a vehicle. — Samuel Chamberlain, Fox News, "Israeli jets strike Gaza terror targets after Hamas launches dozens of rockets," 2 Oct. 2018 Getty ImagesWPA Pool Providing style inspo literally comes with the territory of being a fashion icon. — Kayleigh Roberts, Marie Claire, "Meghan Markle and Princess Beatrice Definitely Wore the Same Skirt This Week," 22 Sep. 2018

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.

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Dictionary Entries near territory

Statistics for territory

Last Updated

5 Jun 2019

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Time Traveler for territory

The first known use of territory was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for territory

territory

noun

English Language Learners Definition of territory

: 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

See the full definition for territory in the English Language Learners Dictionary

territory

noun

ter·ri·to·ry | \ ˈter-ə-ˌtȯr-ē

plural territories

Kids Definition of territory

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 sense 1, district

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

territory

noun

ter·ri·to·ry | \ ˈter-ə-ˌtōr-ē

plural territories

Legal Definition of territory

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

Other Words from territory

territorial \ ˌter-ə-ˈtōr-ē-əl

\ adjective

territorially adverb

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