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• territorial
  territorial

  adjective

  of or relating to territory or land.
• Territorial
  Territorial

  noun

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

territorial

American  

[ter-i-tawr-ee-uhl, -tohr-] / ˌtɛr ɪˈtɔr i əl, -ˈtoʊr- /

adjective

1. of or relating to territory or land.

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

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

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

5. Often Territorial of or relating to a territory of the United States.

6. Military. Territorial, organized on a local basis for home defense.

   the British Territorial Army.

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noun

territorials plural

1. Territorial, a member of the British Territorial Army.

2. a soldier in a territorial army.

territorial ¹ British  

/ ˌtɛrɪˈtɔːrɪəl /

adjective

1. of or relating to a territory or territories

2. restricted to or owned by a particular territory

   the Indian territorial waters

3. local or regional

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

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Territorial ² British  

/ ˌtɛrɪˈtɔːrɪəl /

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonterritorial
  adjective
• preterritorial
  adjective
• quasi-territorial
  adjective
• subterritorial
  adjective
• nonterritorially
  adverb
• quasi-territorially
  adverb
• territorially
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• territorials
  plural

Etymology

Origin of territorial

First recorded in 1615–25; from Late Latin territōriāli; see territory, -al ¹

Explanation

If your dog barks whenever someone walks through your yard, it might be because she's territorial, or inclined to protect her territory from trespassers. A person — or an animal — who guards or defends the area she considers to belong to her is territorial. You can also use the adjective to describe anything relating to the territory itself. For example, territorial boundaries are invisible lines that mark the division between one country, or territory, and another. The Latin root, territorium, "land around a town," comes from terra, "earth or land."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

territorial Territorial territorials

Guyana, a small English-speaking country at the northeast corner of South America, is locked in a territorial dispute with neighboring Venezuela over the oil-rich Essequibo region.

From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026

"In the long run, other issues concerning straits will arise," Domergue said, citing the Taiwan Strait, given China's declared territorial ambitions in Southeast Asia, or the Strait of Malacca, shared by Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026

Iran sends its oil to an area known as the Eastern Outer Port Limits, outside the territorial waters of Malaysia, a rough midpoint between Iran and China.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026

The latter are once again facing American military attacks across their territory, underlining their inability to defend their territorial sovereignty.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

It’s gotten worse since Dad moved back to Cincinnati—they’re, like, territorial!

From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper

"There are numerous facilities that generate environmental impacts in a vulnerable area," Caroline Stamm, an associate professor at the Institute of Urban and Territorial Studies at the Catholic University of Santiago, told AFP.

From Barron's ● May 13, 2026

The businessman signed up to fight just before Russia's full-scale invasion – "we all knew war was inevitable" – initially joining the Territorial Defence, then passing through some of the fiercest battles, including for Bakhmut.

From BBC ● Apr. 27, 2026

"This is the red line that must not be crossed," said Minister of Territorial Administration Paul Atanga Nji during a press conference late Sunday.

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2025

Speaking to the BBC in 2020, she said she had "never heard of Bletchley" before starting work there as a member of the ATS, the Auxiliary Territorial Service.

From BBC ● Apr. 1, 2025

That is barely two years ago—and now here stands Territorial Kantorek, the spell quite broken, with bent knees, arms like pothooks, unpolished buttons and that ludicrous rig-out—an impossible soldier.

From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque

Twenty-eight of the Skye territorials lived within sight of Portree harbour.

From BBC ● Mar. 24, 2014

Britain now has 827,000 men & women in uniform, counting the regular army, navy and air force, plus draftees and territorials.

From Time Magazine Archive

That would give Italy 600,000 men under arms, not counting territorials.

From Time Magazine Archive

At the tables handsome flying Johnnies, naval Jacks in full dress, guardsmen, territorials, and just plain civics sat making conversational love.

From Time Magazine Archive

The territorials who are in charge of them say that they were much more lively at first.

From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque

Related Words

• provincial