territorial

1 of 2

adjective

ter·​ri·​to·​ri·​al ˌter-ə-ˈtȯr-ē-əl 

1

a

: of or relating to a territory

territorial government

b

: of or relating to or organized chiefly for home defense

c

: of or relating to private property

2

a

: exhibiting or involving territoriality

territorial birds

b

: of or relating to an assigned or preempted area

territorial commanders

3

a

: nearby, local

b

: serving outlying areas : regional

territorially

ˌter-ə-ˈtȯr-ē-ə-lē 

adverb

territorial

2 of 2

noun

: a member of a territorial military unit

Examples of territorial in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Taiwan’s leadership rejects China’s territorial claims over it. —Wayne Chang, CNN, 10 Dec. 2024

The new administration will surely take a permissive approach to Israeli territorial ambitions. —Suzanne Maloney, Foreign Affairs, 10 Dec. 2024

Noun

After an initial round of expansion following Russia’s wider invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Ukrainian ground forces—the army, air assault forces, marine corps, national guard and territorials—could deploy a hundred brigades, each with around 2,000 people. —David Axe, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2024

Between them, the army, air assault forces, marine corps, territorials and national guard have formed scores of new brigades, each with up to 2,000 troops and hundreds of vehicles. —David Axe, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1625, in the meaning defined at sense 3a

Noun

1907, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing territorial

• inter-territorial
• territorial court
• territorial dispute
• territorial waters

Kids Definition

territorial

adjective

ter·​ri·​to·​ri·​al

ˌter-ə-ˈtōr-ē-əl,

-ˈtȯr-

1

: of or relating to a territory

territorial claims

2

: organized chiefly for territorial defense

a territorial army

3

: showing or involving territoriality

territorial birds

territorial noun

territorially

-ē-ə-lē

adverb