jurisdiction
Americannoun
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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:
But it has struggled against a lack of enforcement power and several nations -- notably China, Israel, Russia and the United States -- do not recognise its jurisdiction, hampering its ability to investigate their nationals.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
Both companies have defended their actions, criticized the insurers, and said courts lack jurisdiction over the arbitration awards.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
By May, less than six months after Trump had filed his lawsuit, Blanche was submitting a voluntary dismissal with prejudice to Williams, essentially moving the case out of her jurisdiction.
From Slate ● Jul. 14, 2026
The pair stood trial in Germany because of the legal principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows prosecutions for alleged war crimes, including genocide, occurring overseas.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
Under the usual-residence rule, the Census Bureau counts imprisoned individuals as residents of the jurisdiction in which they are incarcerated.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
But more often, those fighting trafficking live in their own silos, doing their own work, and often failing or refusing to share even scant details with other jurisdictions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
The explosion in resource-hungry data centres -- housing the hardware "brains" of artificial intelligence -- is fuelling unease worldwide, with New York State and Australia the latest jurisdictions to announce new rules.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
However, two key jurisdictions — the European Commission and Britain’s media and culture minister — continue to evaluate potential anticompetitive effects.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
It said the claims had been investigated by authorities in several jurisdictions which, according to BGC, had not substantiated the allegations.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
It had a little bit to do with jurisdictions, I supposed.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
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.
