jurisdiction
Americannoun
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jurisdictions
plural
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the right, power, or authority to administer justice by hearing and determining controversies.
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power; authority; control.
He has jurisdiction over all American soldiers in the area.
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the extent or range of judicial, law enforcement, or other authority.
This case comes under the jurisdiction of the local police.
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the territory over which authority is exercised.
All islands to the northwest are his jurisdiction.
noun
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the right or power to administer justice and to apply laws
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the exercise or extent of such right or power
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power or authority in general
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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prejurisdictionnoun
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superjurisdictionnoun
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jurisdictionaladjective
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jurisdictiveadjective
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jurisdictionallyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of jurisdiction
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Latin jūris dictiōn-, stem of jūris dictiō, literally, “a saying of law,” from jūris, genitive of jūs “law, right” ( see jus 1 ( def. )) + dictiō “rhetorical delivery, a saying” ( see diction); replacing Middle English jurediccioun, from Old French juredicion, from Latin, as above
Explanation
Jurisdiction means having a legal right over something. A court can have jurisdiction over a legal question, and a government can have jurisdiction over another country or territory. Even your parents could be said to have jurisdiction over you while you're under 18. This noun jurisdiction descends from Latin jūrisdictiō, formed from jūris (from jūs "law") plus dictio, "the act of saying." Think of it as who has the right to "say" what "the law" is. In the U.S., certain crimes are tried in state courts, but when a crime involves more than one state, jurisdiction moves to the federal court system, just as the local police step down and the investigation is handled by the FBI.
Vocabulary lists containing jurisdiction
The Declaration of Independence
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You Be the Judge: Jud, Jur, Jus
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You Can Say That Again: Dic and Dict
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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.
See Examples For:
While Binance said its US-facing exchange was unaffected, the US would still have jurisdiction to investigate the hack and help track down stolen funds - an effort which generally involves a global law enforcement effort.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
Nearly every American jurisdiction leaves a paper trail for ballots.
From Salon ● Oct. 28, 2026
“How do we have jurisdiction when the district court has said it’s going to rule expeditiously?”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 25, 2026
Diminishing water flows set up a conflict that would be subject to original jurisdiction.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Thursday morning, right on schedule, and passed from the jurisdiction of the Thunderhead to the jurisdiction of the Scythedom.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
But in his summary of the potential impact this year, county chief executive Joe Nicchita shared news stories showing how binding arbitration has played out in other jurisdictions, including Vallejo.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
"We feel like Canada, UK, Australia are all very aligned on online safety... Then if those three jurisdictions are doing it, it could become a critical mass thing."
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
It is one of around 40 similar lawsuits brought by cities, states, tribes and other local jurisdictions, modeled on successful litigation against tobacco and opioid producers.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
Family offices today often need to operate across generations and jurisdictions, according to Citigroup’s 2026 Global Family Office Report, based on its survey of 351 family office clients.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
This helps to explain why up to 90 percent of forfeiture cases in some jurisdictions are not challenged.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
