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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

Russian warships regularly pass through international waters in the Channel, which are separate from UK and French territorial waters.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

It did not have such powers before the war and while the strait comprises Omani and Iranian territorial waters, under international law the two cannot generally block passage or charge tolls.

From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026

“She started peeing in this girl’s shoes and on her stuff and being really territorial about ‘her person,’” Wilson said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

“Fairies are highly territorial, nonmigratory creatures. Put them in a livable environment and they stay put. Especially an environment like Fablehaven, with gardens and plentiful food and other enchanted critters.”

From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull

"The design incorporates Her Majesty's Royal Cypher, a stylised St Edward's Crown and the Auxiliary Territorial Service emblem, acknowledging her wartime service and lifelong sense of duty," the mint added.

From BBC ● Feb. 6, 2026

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

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2025

"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

He and his men are a "mobile fire unit" from Ukraine's 117 Territorial Defence Brigade – all locals trying to defend not just their hometown but their country.

From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2025

Territorial empires directly occupy territories with their armies, throw out the old rulers, and annex the land.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

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