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territory

Syllabification: (ter·ri·to·ry)
Pronunciation: /ˈterəˌtôrē/

Translate territory | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of territory

noun (plural territories)

  • 1an area of land under the jurisdiction of a ruler or state:the government was prepared to give up the nuclear weapons on its territory sorties into enemy territory
  • Zoology an area defended by an animal or group of animals against others of the same sex or species. Compare with home range.
  • an area defended by a team or player in a game or sport.
  • an area in which one has certain rights or for which one has responsibility with regard to a particular type of activity:a sales rep for a large territory
  • [with modifier] land with a specified characteristic:woodland territory
  • 2 (Territory) (especially in the US, Canada, or Australia) an organized division of a country that is not yet admitted to the full rights of a state.
  • 3an area of knowledge, activity, or experience:the contentious territory of clinical standards the way she felt now—she was in unknown territory

Phrases

go (or come) with the territory

be an unavoidable result of a particular situation.

Origin:

late Middle English: from Latin territorium, from terra 'land'. The word originally denoted the district surrounding and under the jurisdiction of a town or city, specifically a Roman or provincial city

Spell territory with a double r in the middle; the ending is -ory.

territory in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of territory in the British & World English dictionary