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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

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

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

The strengthening El Nino could shatter all-time records, "adding fuel to a planet already on fire" and pushing the world into "uncharted territory," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned recently.

From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026

The S&P 500 finished July only marginally lower, and quickly returned to record territory as the calendar flipped to August.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026

This time around, I was already in geriatric pregnancy territory, and I wasn’t getting any younger.

From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2026

The force is made up of international troops, with the plan being for them to work with a new Palestinian police force to secure the territory.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

Much of this land was territory the panda traditionally roamed.

From "Camp Panda" by Catherine Thimmesh

Koalas have been officially listed as endangered in Queensland, New South Wales, and the Australian Capital Territory since 2022.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026

Northern Territory Police Force Commissioner Martin Dole said that 25 years was a "significant milestone" and that he hoped the release of new images could jog memories or lead to a tip-off.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

A spokesperson from Northern Territory said their "thoughts remained with the Falconio family and Joanne Lees whose loss and uncertainty continue to be felt 25 years on".

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

Discovery estimates its $2.2 billion Territory 1889 project will generate $93.1 million in annual spending and 565 full-time jobs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026

On April 21, just six days out of Carthage, he arrived at Liard River Hotsprings, at the threshold of the Yukon Territory.

From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer

Then there are the overseas territories, which require France to post immigration officers across 12 time zones, including France’s longest border, the jungled 450 miles between French Guyana and Brazil.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

People born in the US territories of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the US Virgin Islands, for example, get automatic citizenship, while those born in unincorporated American Samoa are not and are instead considered "non-citizen nationals".

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

But individual ticks are capable of carrying more than one disease simultaneously, and as their territories proliferate, healthcare professionals are warning Americans to pay attention to strange symptoms.

From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026

The payments are due to begin in 2027, "in exchange for a full release of all claims the US states and territories asserted against it and its affiliates", the Basel-based group said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026

The borderlands—as this region was known—were remote and lawless territories that had been fought over for hundreds of years.

From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell

Related Words

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