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• territory
  territory

  noun

  any tract of land; region or district.
• Territory
  Territory

  noun

  See Northern Territory

territory

American  

[ter-i-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] / ˈtɛr ɪˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i /

noun

• territories
  plural

1. 

   any tract of land; region or district.

2. the land and waters belonging to or under the jurisdiction of a state, sovereign, etc.

   Synonyms:

   sovereignty, dominion, domain

3. any separate tract of land belonging to a state.

4. (often initial capital letter)

   1. a region or district of the U.S. not admitted to the Union as a state but having its own legislature, with a governor and other officers appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate.

   2. some similar district elsewhere, as in Canada and Australia.

5. a field or sphere of action, thought, etc.; domain or province of something.

6. the region or district assigned to a representative, agent, or the like, as for making sales.

7. the area that an animal defends against intruders, especially of the same species.

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territory ¹ British  

/ ˈtɛrɪtərɪ, -trɪ /

noun

1. any tract of land; district

2. the geographical domain under the jurisdiction of a political unit, esp of a sovereign state

3. the district for which an agent, etc, is responsible

   a salesman's territory

4. an area inhabited and defended by an individual animal or a breeding group of animals

5. an area of knowledge

   science isn't my territory

6. (in football, hockey, etc) the area defended by a team

7. (often capital) a region of a country, esp of a federal state, that enjoys less autonomy and a lower status than most constituent parts of the state

8. (often capital) a protectorate or other dependency of a country

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Territory ² British  

/ ˈtɛrɪtərɪ, -trɪ /

noun

1. See Northern Territory

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territory Scientific  

/ tĕr′ĭ-tôr′ē /

1. A geographic area occupied by a single animal, mating pair, or group. Animals usually defend their territory vigorously against intruders, especially of the same species, but the defense often takes the form of prominent, threatening displays rather than out-and-out fighting. Different animals mark off territory in different ways, as by leaving traces of their scent along the boundaries or, in the case of birds, modifying their calls to keep out intruders.

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territory Idioms  

1. see come with the territory; cover the field (territory).

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• subterritory
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• territories
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of territory

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin territōrium “land around a town, district,” from terr(a) “land” + -i- -i- + -tōrium -tory ²

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Explanation

A certain area that's owned or under the control of someone is called a territory. Countries defend their territories during wars and dogs mark their territory in the yard by peeing on it. Although the territory of a country includes its entire area, the noun can also specifically refer to an area governed by a country, but one that isn't a state or province. Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States, for example. The noun territory can also be used to describe any assigned region or area, such as a salesman whose territory is the Midwest — that means that he's in charge of business in there.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

territory Territory territories

That has pushed Gaza’s population to a shrinking piece of territory.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 12, 2026

“Now we’re back in the territory where they’re just going to be pushing borrowers to make payments,” she said.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 12, 2026

Since then, hundreds of displaced families have been seen fleeing camps in parts of Gaza City and central and northern areas of the territory after they were inundated by rainwater.

From Barron's ● Nov. 12, 2026

After receiving the voice notes, Cash replies via text the next day: "You, my friend, have just been elite captured" before adding: "You're in spy territory now".

From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2026

We were coming past Tarbox territory, weedy hay-land and rough cropland, seen through fallen fences.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

In Australia’s remote Northern Territory, where many classes are held online, education officials said schools were experiencing technical difficulties and urged people to be patient.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 13, 2026

Some of these cores at the Northern Territory Geological Survey are mudstone – a type of sedimentary rock formed from hardened seafloor mud.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 27, 2026

Another Outback creature, commonly found in the Northern Territory, is the buffalo.

From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026

Five episodes were released in Yolngu Matha, a collection of dialects from north-east Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory.

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

That is why he sold the vast Louisiana Territory to Jefferson for the bargain price of just fifteen million dollars.

From "Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science" by Marc Aronson

“We’re really in uncharted territories when you’re talking about record sale prices coupled with higher interest rates,” said Christina Ray, an agent in Denver.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 12, 2026

Hawaii, most of Arizona, and U.S. territories do not change their clocks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2026

These communities often constructed fortified sites, and strategically located settlements controlling surrounding territories.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 31, 2026

Meanwhile, Britain's Privy Council -- the final court of appeal for UK overseas territories -- will next year hear a petition for slavery reparations filed by Jamaica.

From Barron's ● Oct. 25, 2026

Ptolemy Philadelphus received territories in Asia Minor, including the northern part of Syria and Cilicia.

From "Sterling Biographies®: Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen" by Susan Blackaby

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Related Words

• area
• colony
• country
• district
• enclave
• field
• land
• nation
• neighborhood
• province
• sector
• state
• street
• terrain
• zone

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