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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

Alarming weaker Gulf countries like Kuwait, Iran’s leaders are increasingly talking about offensive operations on enemy territory.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

After all, Lenape territory remains unceded, no matter how many times it is acknowledged.

From Slate ● Aug. 17, 2026

She emerged from the reggaeton thunderstorm that hijacked the planet, but then guided it smoothly into a different aesthetic territory, far away from the movement’s misogynistic toxicity.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

To be sure, with stocks near record territory on Friday, nervous investors had plenty of other things to worry about besides obscure technicals.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026

Then Charlie’s baritone and Glenn’s bass, working the same territory.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

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

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

Fairfax, who owns some five million acres, is worried about the fate of his assets in the wilderness known as the Ohio Territory, which both French Canadians and indigenous tribes are threatening to seize.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

Territory was lost, then hard-won, then lost again.

From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge

As people move deeper and deeper into ecosystems and territories where few, if any, had lived before, they risk interacting with pathogens that were previously confined.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

Spanish names dominate in California and South Texas, and up the Rio Grande through New Mexico, all former territories of the Spanish empire and later Mexico.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 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

The United States alarmed its tropical island territories earlier this year, detailing plans to carve up parts of the Pacific Ocean for mining exploration.

From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026

All winter the Opel roves occupied territories, cities that Jutta recorded in their radio log coming to life—Prague, Minsk, Ljubljana.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

Related Words

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