territorial

[ ter-i-tawr-ee-uhl, -tohr- ]

/ ˌtɛr ɪˈtɔr i əl, -ˈtoʊr- /

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adjective

of or relating to territory or land.

of, pertaining to, associated with, or restricted to a particular territory or district; local.

pertaining or belonging to the territory of a state or ruler.

(of an animal) characterized by territoriality; defending an area against intruders, especially of the same species.

(often initial capital letter) of or relating to a territory of the U.S.

(initial capital letter)Military. organized on a local basis for home defense: the British Territorial Army.

noun

(initial capital letter) a member of the British Territorial Army.

a soldier in a territorial army.

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Origin of territorial

From the Late Latin word territōriālis, dating back to 1615–25. See territory, -al¹

OTHER WORDS FROM territorial

ter·ri·to·ri·al·ly, adverbnon·ter·ri·to·ri·al, adjectivenon·ter·ri·to·ri·al·ly, adverbpre·ter·ri·to·ri·al, adjective

qua·si-ter·ri·to·ri·al, adjectivequa·si-ter·ri·to·ri·al·ly, adverbsub·ter·ri·to·ri·al, adjective

Words nearby territorial

terrific, terrify, terrifying, terrigenous, terrine, territorial, Territorial Army, territorial court, territorialism, territoriality, territorialize

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use territorial in a sentence

While no individual infant managed to accrue all 25 syllables used by adults, each of the 20 pups learned the 10 syllables from adult males’ territorial and mating songs.
Both bats and humans test out talking as infants|Sara Kiley Watson|August 20, 2021|Popular-Science
The thing is that they’re highly territorial and the males will get together and patrol the boundaries of their territory.
Jane Goodall reveals what studying chimpanzees teaches us about human nature|Sigal Samuel|July 23, 2021|Vox
Analyzing the origins of this territorial gain places current debates about immigration, the border and even what languages can be taught in schools in a broader perspective.
Every American needs to take a history of Mexico class|Gabriela Laveaga|July 22, 2021|Washington Post
With only 64 territorial immunization directors in the country, her firing brings the nationwide turnover in immunization directors to nearly 40 percent during the health crisis.
Tennessee has gone “anti-vaccine,” state vaccine chief says after being fired|Beth Mole|July 13, 2021|Ars Technica

They’re female-dominated and don’t exhibit the same territorial behaviors that chimpanzees do.
What Made Early Humans Smart - Issue 102: Hidden Truths|Kevin Berger|June 30, 2021|Nautilus
He signed a commercial deal favorable to South Korea and reached out to Vietnam following recent territorial disputes.
Beijing’s ‘Star Trek’ APEC Summit|Jake Adelstein|November 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Tribal, sectarian and territorial conflicts made it a constantly turbulent place, despite the hammer of Ottoman rule.
Gertrude of Arabia, the Woman Who Invented Iraq|Clive Irving|June 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
India is a fellow democracy, and, like Japan, feels acutely vulnerable to Chinese territorial and economic expansionism.
Mr. Politically Correct Obama, Meet Your Opposite, India’s Mr. Modi|Tunku Varadarajan|May 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Both countries have supported the territorial integrity of Ukraine without giving Moscow a reason to justify more aggression.
Why America Must Stop Comparing Ukraine To World War II|Will Cathcart|March 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Perhaps he now reckons that once again there will be no serious consequences for his territorial lust.
Cut the Baloney on Ukraine|Leslie H. Gelb|March 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The name is territorial; and the better opinion is inclined to connect it with Brix, between Cherbourg and Valognes.
King Robert the Bruce|A. F. Murison
Some other stimulus to our Territorial recruiting than the fear of invasion will have to be invented in future.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
Like every other English governor, Drury complained of the number of idle men retained by territorial magnates.
Ireland Under the Tudors, Vol. II (of 3)|Richard Bagwell
At this moment he even reproaches himself for not having accepted a place in the Territorial Bank.
The Nabob|Alphonse Daudet
Deputy he would certainly be through the influence of the Territorial Bank, at the head of which he stood.
The Nabob|Alphonse Daudet

British Dictionary definitions for territorial (1 of 2)

territorial

/ (ˌtɛrɪˈtɔːrɪəl) /

adjective

of or relating to a territory or territories

restricted to or owned by a particular territorythe Indian territorial waters

local or regional

pertaining to a territorial army, providing a reserve of trained men for use in emergency

Derived forms of territorial

territorially, adverb

British Dictionary definitions for territorial (2 of 2)

Territorial

/ (ˌtɛrɪˈtɔːrɪəl) /

noun

a member of a territorial army, esp the British Army's Territorial and Volunteer Reserve

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

territorial

Origin of territorial

OTHER WORDS FROM territorial

Words nearby territorial

Words related to territorial

How to use territorial in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for territorial (1 of 2)

Derived forms of territorial

British Dictionary definitions for territorial (2 of 2)