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• territory
  territory

  noun

  any tract of land; region or district.
• Territory
  Territory

  noun

  See Northern Territory

territory

American  

[ter-i-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] / ˈtɛr ɪˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i /

noun

• territories
  plural

1. 

   any tract of land; region or district.

2. the land and waters belonging to or under the jurisdiction of a state, sovereign, etc.

   Synonyms:

   sovereignty, dominion, domain

3. any separate tract of land belonging to a state.

4. (often initial capital letter)

   1. a region or district of the U.S. not admitted to the Union as a state but having its own legislature, with a governor and other officers appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate.

   2. some similar district elsewhere, as in Canada and Australia.

5. a field or sphere of action, thought, etc.; domain or province of something.

6. the region or district assigned to a representative, agent, or the like, as for making sales.

7. the area that an animal defends against intruders, especially of the same species.

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territory ¹ British  

/ ˈtɛrɪtərɪ, -trɪ /

noun

1. any tract of land; district

2. the geographical domain under the jurisdiction of a political unit, esp of a sovereign state

3. the district for which an agent, etc, is responsible

   a salesman's territory

4. an area inhabited and defended by an individual animal or a breeding group of animals

5. an area of knowledge

   science isn't my territory

6. (in football, hockey, etc) the area defended by a team

7. (often capital) a region of a country, esp of a federal state, that enjoys less autonomy and a lower status than most constituent parts of the state

8. (often capital) a protectorate or other dependency of a country

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Territory ² British  

/ ˈtɛrɪtərɪ, -trɪ /

noun

1. See Northern Territory

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territory Scientific  

/ tĕr′ĭ-tôr′ē /

1. A geographic area occupied by a single animal, mating pair, or group. Animals usually defend their territory vigorously against intruders, especially of the same species, but the defense often takes the form of prominent, threatening displays rather than out-and-out fighting. Different animals mark off territory in different ways, as by leaving traces of their scent along the boundaries or, in the case of birds, modifying their calls to keep out intruders.

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territory Idioms  

1. see come with the territory; cover the field (territory).

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• subterritory
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• territories
  plural

Etymology

Origin of territory

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin territōrium “land around a town, district,” from terr(a) “land” + -i- -i- + -tōrium -tory ²

Explanation

A certain area that's owned or under the control of someone is called a territory. Countries defend their territories during wars and dogs mark their territory in the yard by peeing on it. Although the territory of a country includes its entire area, the noun can also specifically refer to an area governed by a country, but one that isn't a state or province. Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States, for example. The noun territory can also be used to describe any assigned region or area, such as a salesman whose territory is the Midwest — that means that he's in charge of business in there.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

territory Territory territories

In return, the Regional League Northeast is prepared to compromise by giving up its emotional attachment to the territory of the former East Germany.

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026

"They said, 'We don't want this to happen on the territory of the United States," he said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026

Under Canada’s constitution, the federal government must hold adequate consultations with indigenous people whose territory will be impacted by projects such as pipelines.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

The RSI, a momentum measure, is seen as entering oversold territory when it falls below 30.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026

A fox watched as the mechanical creature galloped through his territory.

From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown

Another Outback creature, commonly found in the Northern Territory, is the buffalo.

From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026

Koalas have been officially listed as endangered in Queensland, New South Wales, and the Australian Capital Territory since 2022.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026

We credit Jefferson with purchasing the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803 for $15 million.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

Five episodes were released in Yolngu Matha, a collection of dialects from north-east Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory.

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson purchased, from the French, the Territory of Louisiana, which contained lands dominated by the Osage.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann

His favourite pick would be a joint prize to Save the Children and Mykola Kuleba, a Ukrainian children's rights activist campaigning for the return of Ukrainian children illegally taken to Russia from occupied territories.

From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026

The platform supports cross-border payments in more than 220 countries and territories through partner networks, including Ant Group’s Alipay+.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

Does F1, which has experienced a huge rise in popularity in other territories around the world, need another track in its crowded European heartland?

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026

Their methods offer a foundation for similar work elsewhere in France, Europe, and overseas territories.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 10, 2026

Jewish artists and intellectuals of all kinds fled Nazism, and music by Jews, Communists and Blacks was banned in the Third Reich and its occupied territories.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

Related Words

• area
• colony
• country
• district
• enclave
• field
• land
• nation
• neighborhood
• province
• sector
• state
• street
• terrain
• zone