territory

noun

ter·​ri·​to·​ry ˈter-ə-ˌtȯr-ē 

plural territories

1

a

: a geographic area belonging to or under the jurisdiction of a governmental authority

b

: an administrative subdivision of a country

c

: a part of the U.S. not included within any state but organized with a separate legislature

d

: a geographic area (such as a colonial possession) dependent on an external government but having some degree of autonomy

2

a

: an indeterminate geographic area

b

: a field of knowledge or interest

3

a

: an assigned area

especially : one in which a sales representative or distributor operates

b

: an area often including a nesting or denning site and a variable foraging range that is occupied and defended by an animal or group of animals

Phrases

go with the territory or come with the territory

: to be a natural or unavoidable aspect or accompaniment of a particular situation, position, or field

criticism goes with the territory in this job

Synonyms

• habitat
• home
• niche
• range

Examples of territory in a Sentence

Those mountains are in Mexican territory.

Guam is a U.S. territory.

The birds are busy establishing territories and building nests.

Male cats spray to mark territory.

The goal of the expedition is to map unexplored territory.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Samsung community has been waiting to see if the Galaxy S25 family will have their preferred option of Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 across the portfolio or if some territories would adopt the slower Samsung’s own Exynos 2500 chipset. —Ewan Spence, Forbes, 2 Jan. 2025

After all, techne was also once the territory of virtue, the application of theoretical knowledge to crafting one’s life with decency and care. —Michaëla De Lacaze Mohrmann, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2025

In a democracy—especially in one like ours, with robust First Amendment protections—criticism comes with the territory. —Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 1 Jan. 2025

The flow of natural gas through a major pipeline from Russia to Europe was cut off after Ukraine refused to renew an agreement that allowed for the transit of Russian gas through its territory. —Marc Santora, New York Times, 1 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin territorium, literally, land around a town, from terra land — more at terrace entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing territory

• dangerous ground/territory
• enemy territory
• poach on someone's territory/turf
• trust territory
• uncharted territory/waters
• union territory
• virgin territory

Kids Definition

territory

noun

ter·​ri·​to·​ry ˈter-ə-ˌtōr-ē 

-ˌtȯr-

plural territories

1

a

: a geographic area belonging to or under the control of a government

b

: a part of the U.S. not included within any state but having a separate governing body

2

a

: an assigned area

a sales representative's territory

b

: an area that is occupied and defended by an animal or group of animals

Legal Definition

territory

noun

ter·​ri·​to·​ry ˈter-ə-ˌtōr-ē 

plural territories

1

: a geographical area belonging to or under the jurisdiction of a governmental authority

2

: a political subdivision of a country

3

: a part of the U.S. (as Guam or the U.S. Virgin Islands) not included within any state but organized with a separate legislature compare trust territory

territorial

ˌter-ə-ˈtōr-ē-əl 

adjective

territorially adverb