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territorial waters
plural noun
: the waters under the sovereign jurisdiction of a nation or state including both marginal sea and inland waters
Examples of territorial waters in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
There is also another concern that is unique to Taiwan’s geography: The west side of the island faces China, and there are continuing incursions into Taiwan’s territorial waters from China’s coast guard and navy vessels.
—Isabel Hilton, WIRED, 5 Oct. 2024
The Hezbollah naval base held a training center, an area to conduct experiments and military speedboats that were intended to be used in attacks on Israeli navy vessels and targets within Israel’s territorial waters, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.
—Stephen Sorace, Fox News, 22 Oct. 2024
Any ship that intends to even be in the territorial waters must first stop in the Falkland Islands for a Sami sniff-down.
—Discover Magazine, 14 Oct. 2024
Regular Chinese intrusions into Indonesia’s territorial waters stoke public outrage, while Washington’s support for Israel in the Gaza crisis has proved toxic in a nation with more Muslims than any other.
—Charlie Campbell / Jakarta, TIME, 14 Oct. 2024
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Word History
First Known Use
1841, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of territorial waters was
in 1841
Dictionary Entries Near territorial waters
Cite this Entry
“Territorial waters.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/territorial%20waters. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.
Legal Definition
territorial waters
noun plural
territorial wa·ters
: the waters under the sovereign jurisdiction of a nation or state including both marginal sea and inland waters
More from Merriam-Webster on territorial waters
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about territorial waters
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