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
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 grant money, which is appropriated by Congress under Section 317 of the Public Health Services Act, enables states, territories and some large cities to collect data on vaccination, as well as provide shots to underserved children and adults.
—
Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 25 July 2025
Stocks are closing out the week in record territory thanks to five straight positive sessions for the S & P 500 .
—Jeff Marks, CNBC, 25 July 2025
Advertisement Macron has not specified what territory France would recognize as being part of a Palestinian state.
—Callum Sutherland, Time, 25 July 2025
After making his wrestling debut in 1979, Hogan quickly rose through regional territories before ascending to major wrestling stardom in the mid-1980s.
—Chris Morris, Fortune, 24 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for territory
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 25 July 2025
Stocks are closing out the week in record territory thanks to five straight positive sessions for the S & P 500 .
—Jeff Marks, CNBC, 25 July 2025
Advertisement Macron has not specified what territory France would recognize as being part of a Palestinian state.
—Callum Sutherland, Time, 25 July 2025
After making his wrestling debut in 1979, Hogan quickly rose through regional territories before ascending to major wrestling stardom in the mid-1980s.
—Chris Morris, Fortune, 24 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for territory
Cite this Entry
“Territory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/territory. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
territorially
adverb
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