territorial dispute
noun
: a disagreement about who controls a particular territory
The two countries are in a territorial dispute.
Examples of territorial dispute in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Since ExxonMobil made its major oil discovery in Guyana in 2015, Venezuela has revived a century-old territorial dispute with Guyana and taken steps to annex the remote Essequibo region, which comprises about two-thirds of Guyana's land mass.
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Arkansas Online, 28 Mar. 2025
These waters are closer to a major Philippine island than the reefs that have typically been the focus of the neighbors' territorial dispute and well within the country's exclusive economic zone (EEZ)—where maritime law grants Manila the sole rights to natural resources.
—William Lambers, Newsweek, 10 Mar. 2025
What Happens Next? Neither Beijing nor Manila is likely to budge on the territorial dispute anytime soon.
—Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 21 Feb. 2025
Rubio has spent his first week as secretary of state touting U.S. alliances, including reiterating support for the Philippines amid its territorial dispute with China.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 24 Jan. 2025
Some Southeast Asian nations are locked in a territorial dispute with China regarding the South China Sea, which houses one of the world’s busiest shipping routes.
—Lionel Lim, Fortune Asia, 16 Jan. 2025
The two neighbors' territorial dispute has become increasingly heated since Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who came to office in 2022, began pushing back against China's expansion in the area.
—Mark R. Weaver, Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2024
Thes extended wetland ecosystem is shared between Pakistan and India and is also the subject of a pre-Partition territorial dispute among erstwhile Princely States (The Sir Creek Dispute).
—Saleem H. Ali, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024
Vietnam has a long-standing territorial dispute in the South China Sea with China, which claims the majority of the area as its territory—an assertion that overlaps with separate claims by Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan as well as the Philippines.
—Nguyen Dieu Tu Uyen and Philip J. Heijmans / Bloomberg, TIME, 4 Oct. 2024
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Arkansas Online, 28 Mar. 2025
These waters are closer to a major Philippine island than the reefs that have typically been the focus of the neighbors' territorial dispute and well within the country's exclusive economic zone (EEZ)—where maritime law grants Manila the sole rights to natural resources.
—William Lambers, Newsweek, 10 Mar. 2025
What Happens Next? Neither Beijing nor Manila is likely to budge on the territorial dispute anytime soon.
—Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 21 Feb. 2025
Rubio has spent his first week as secretary of state touting U.S. alliances, including reiterating support for the Philippines amid its territorial dispute with China.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 24 Jan. 2025
Some Southeast Asian nations are locked in a territorial dispute with China regarding the South China Sea, which houses one of the world’s busiest shipping routes.
—Lionel Lim, Fortune Asia, 16 Jan. 2025
The two neighbors' territorial dispute has become increasingly heated since Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who came to office in 2022, began pushing back against China's expansion in the area.
—Mark R. Weaver, Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2024
Thes extended wetland ecosystem is shared between Pakistan and India and is also the subject of a pre-Partition territorial dispute among erstwhile Princely States (The Sir Creek Dispute).
—Saleem H. Ali, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024
Vietnam has a long-standing territorial dispute in the South China Sea with China, which claims the majority of the area as its territory—an assertion that overlaps with separate claims by Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan as well as the Philippines.
—Nguyen Dieu Tu Uyen and Philip J. Heijmans / Bloomberg, TIME, 4 Oct. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Territorial dispute.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/territorial%20dispute. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.
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