extraterritorial
Americanadjective
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beyond local territorial jurisdiction, as the status of persons resident in a country but not subject to its laws.
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pertaining to such persons.
adjective
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beyond the limits of a country's territory
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of, relating to, or possessing extraterritoriality
Other Word Forms
- extraterritorially adverb
- quasi-extraterritorial adjective
- quasi-extraterritorially adverb
Etymology
Origin of extraterritorial
First recorded in 1865–70; extra- + territorial
Explanation
If something is extraterritorial, it's beyond the boundaries or control of a particular country, state, or region. This adjective is mainly used in a legal context. An extraterritorial law is one that's valid outside of the borders of a nation: "Under extraterritorial laws, the suspect was arrested in Canada and returned to the U.S." By contrast, extraterritorial rights are held by diplomats who aren't subject to the laws where they're temporarily living: "She never gets speeding tickets because of her extraterritorial privileges." Extra- means "outside," and territorial comes from a Latin word meaning "domain."
Vocabulary lists containing extraterritorial
Chapter 24: Imperialism and World War I
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Chapters 27–28
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extra-
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"China has extraterritorial jurisdiction to prosecute its citizens for conduct which occurs outside China," the joint statement read.
From BBC • Jan. 28, 2026
In that memo, Barr claimed that the president has inherent constitutional authority to conduct extraterritorial arrests for violations of U.S. law.
From Slate • Jan. 5, 2026
He said the EU’s online-content law was adopted democratically by the EU and doesn’t have an extraterritorial effect.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 24, 2025
For example, its new regime of export controls for critical minerals, scheduled to take effect Nov. 8, included its first assertion of extraterritorial jurisdiction.
From Barron's • Oct. 24, 2025
A commission is to be appointed to investigate the administration of justice with a view to the ultimate extinction of extraterritorial rights now enjoyed by foreigners.
From From Isolation to Leadership, Revised A Review of American Foreign Policy by Latane, John Holladay
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
