territory

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

noun

plural

territories 

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.

Territory

¹

/ ˈtɛrɪtərɪ, -trɪ /

noun

1. See Northern Territory

territory

²

/ 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

territory

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.

Other Word Forms

• subterritory noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of territory¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of territory¹

C15: from Latin territōrium land surrounding a town, from terra land

Idioms and Phrases

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

Example Sentences

Even as Vladimir Putin struggles to reassert Russian control in the former western territories of the Soviet Union, Chinese power grows daily across the oil- and resource-rich former Soviet lands in Central Asia.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The National Association of Home Builders’ measure of industry sentiment has remained in pessimistic territory all year, with plenty of builders offering incentives or cutting prices to keep homes selling.

Read more on Barron's

Israel responded by launching a military campaign in Gaza, during which more than 68,500 people have been killed, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

Read more on BBC

A shallow magnitude-6.5 earthquake struck off the coast of the French overseas territory of Guadeloupe, US seismologists said, with no damages or injuries immediately reported by authorities.

Read more on Barron's

The San Diego-based company is best known for smartphone and personal computer processors and is venturing into new territory with the release.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

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