territory

noun

ter·​ri·​to·​ry ˈter-ə-ˌtȯr-ē 

plural territories

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

see also:

go with the territory

Synonyms of territory

• habitat
• home

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

In December, Israel became the first country to formally recognize Somaliland — motivated by the territory’s strategic position along the Red Sea as a potential counterweight to Iran and the Houthis, and framed by Netanyahu as being in the spirit of the Abraham Accords. —Yinka Adegoke, semafor.com, 20 Mar. 2026

Journalists and other political figures have pointed to the history of Israeli incursions into south Lebanon in suggesting that any occupation of Lebanese territory now might again lead the country to strategic failure. —Asher Kaufman, The Conversation, 20 Mar. 2026

Moments of narration and visual maximalism — characters floating, feelings made literal — push the film into more experimental territory, while appearances from Rubén Blades and Cheech Marin add cultural texture. —Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 20 Mar. 2026

Ukraine and Hungary have been locked in an escalating feud since deliveries of Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia were halted in January due to damage to the Druzhba pipeline, which crosses Ukrainian territory. —Lorne Cook, Arkansas Online, 20 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing territory

• come with the territory
• dangerous ground/territory
• enemy territory
• go with the territory
• poach on someone's territory/turf
• trust territory
• uncharted territory/waters
• union territory
• virgin territory

Rhymes for territory

• allegory
• amatory
• auditory
• category
• clerestory
• crematory
• desultory
• dilatory
• dormitory
• excretory
• extempore
• feudatory

Kids Definition

territory

noun

ter·​ri·​to·​ry ˈter-ə-ˌtōr-ē 

-ˌtȯr-

plural territories

1

a

: a geographic area belonging to or under the control of a government

b

: a part of the U.S. not included within any state but having a separate governing body

2

a

: an assigned area

a sales representative's territory

b

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

Legal Definition

territory

noun

ter·​ri·​to·​ry ˈter-ə-ˌtōr-ē 

plural territories

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

territorial

ˌter-ə-ˈtōr-ē-əl 

adjective

territorially adverb