exclusive economic zone

British

noun

Sometimes shortened to: economic zone. the coastal water and sea bed around a country's shores, to which it claims exclusive rights for fishing, oil exploration, fishing, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

A nation’s exclusive economic zone typically extends as much as 230 miles from its coastline and under maritime law gives that nation exclusive rights over fishing, oil and gas exploration, and other resources.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026

With overseas territories across the Pacific, Caribbean and Indian oceans, France has the second-largest maritime exclusive economic zone in the world after the United States.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 23, 2026

Access to the islands’ resources is simpler, because the metals lie within the country’s exclusive economic zone.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 27, 2025

Defence Secretary John Healey called the action "deeply dangerous", saying the Yantar had repeatedly crossed in and out of the UK's exclusive economic zone.

From BBC • Dec. 7, 2025

Pacific island nation Palau, a staunch US ally in the region, in 2021 alleged that the Da Yang Hao had entered its exclusive economic zone without proper permissions.

From Barron's • Nov. 8, 2025

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023