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territorial waters
plural noun
: the waters under the sovereign jurisdiction of a nation or state including both marginal sea and inland waters
Examples of territorial waters in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
This could take the form of surveillance inside territorial waters, warning shots on Iranian vessels, or boardings of Iranian commercial vessels that might be smuggling arms.
—Carter Malkasian, Foreign Affairs, 20 Sep. 2024
Last month, a Chinese military airplane intruded into Japan’s airspace for the first time, an incident soon followed by a Chinese naval vessel entering Japanese territorial waters.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2024
Owned by a state-run behemoth called the China National Fisheries Corp., the Lu Yan Yuan Yu 10 was one of several hundred Chinese jiggers — as squid ships are known — that routinely visit the fishing grounds that lie beyond Argentina’s territorial waters.
—Ian Urbina, Los Angeles Times, 4 Aug. 2024
And in South America, the increasingly foreign presence in territorial waters is stoking nationalist worry in places like Peru and Argentina.
—Ian Urbina, TIME, 1 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for territorial waters
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'territorial waters.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1841, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of territorial waters was
in 1841
Dictionary Entries Near territorial waters
Cite this Entry
“Territorial waters.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/territorial%20waters. Accessed 5 Oct. 2024.
Legal Definition
territorial waters
noun plural
territorial wa·ters
: the waters under the sovereign jurisdiction of a nation or state including both marginal sea and inland waters
More from Merriam-Webster on territorial waters
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about territorial waters
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