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
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
Trump showed no indication of softening his ambition to take control of the island, which is an autonomous territory but part of the Kingdom of Denmark.
—
David Brennan, ABC News, 27 Mar. 2025
That culminated with Richardson being the most pivotal pick of Ballard’s nine-year tenure, and if he’s judged by that selection more than all of the others, that’s what comes with the territory after not finding an answer sooner.
—James Boyd, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025
Israel's military campaign has killed more than 50,000 Palestinians in Gaza since the deadly Hamas attack on Israel Oct. 7, 2023, according to the territory's health officials.
—Aya Batrawy, NPR, 27 Mar. 2025
But the public calls against Hamas, which has long repressed dissent and still rules the territory months into the war with Israel, were rare.
—Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for territory
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David Brennan, ABC News, 27 Mar. 2025
That culminated with Richardson being the most pivotal pick of Ballard’s nine-year tenure, and if he’s judged by that selection more than all of the others, that’s what comes with the territory after not finding an answer sooner.
—James Boyd, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025
Israel's military campaign has killed more than 50,000 Palestinians in Gaza since the deadly Hamas attack on Israel Oct. 7, 2023, according to the territory's health officials.
—Aya Batrawy, NPR, 27 Mar. 2025
But the public calls against Hamas, which has long repressed dissent and still rules the territory months into the war with Israel, were rare.
—Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for territory
Cite this Entry
“Territory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/territory. Accessed 30 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
territorially
adverb
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