territory


Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Acronyms, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
Related to territory: Union Territory, Indian Territory

ter·ri·to·ry

 (tĕr′ĭ-tôr′ē)
n. pl. ter·ri·to·ries
1.
a. An area of land; a region.
b. The land and waters under the jurisdiction of a government.
c. A political subdivision of a country.
d. A geographic region, such as a colonial possession, that is dependent on an external government: the territories of the Holy Roman Empire.
2. often Territory
a. A subdivision of the United States that is not a state and is administered by an appointed or elected governor and elected legislature.
b. A similarly organized political subdivision of Canada or Australia.
3. An area for which a person is responsible as a representative or agent: a salesperson's territory.
4. Sports The area of a field defended by a specified team: punted the ball deep into the opponent's territory.
5. Biology An area occupied by a single animal, mating pair, or group and often vigorously defended against intruders, especially those of the same species.
6. A sphere of action or interest; a province. See Synonyms at field.

[Middle English territorie, from Latin territōrium, from terra, earth; see ters- in Indo-European roots.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

territory

(ˈtɛrɪtərɪ; -trɪ)
n, pl -ries
1. any tract of land; district
2. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) the geographical domain under the jurisdiction of a political unit, esp of a sovereign state
3. (Commerce) the district for which an agent, etc, is responsible: a salesman's territory.
4. (Zoology) 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. (General Sporting Terms) (in football, hockey, etc) the area defended by a team
7. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) (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. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) (often capital) a protectorate or other dependency of a country
[C15: from Latin territōrium land surrounding a town, from terra land]

Territory

(ˈtɛrɪtərɪ; -trɪ)
n
(Placename) the Territory Austral See Northern Territory
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ter•ri•to•ry

(ˈtɛr ɪˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i)

n., pl. -ries.
1. any tract of land; region; district.
2. the land and waters belonging to or under the jurisdiction of a state, sovereign, etc.
3. any separate tract of land belonging to a state.
4. (usu. cap.)
a. a region of the U.S. not admitted as a state but having its own legislature and an appointed governor.
b. a similar district elsewhere, as in Canada and Australia.
5. a field or sphere of action, thought, etc.
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, esp. of the same species.
[1400–50; late Middle English < Latin territōrium land round a town, district =terr(a) land + -tōrium -tory2]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

ter·ri·to·ry

(tĕr′ĭ-tôr′ē)
A geographic area occupied by a single animal, mating pair, or group. Animals usually defend their territory vigorously against intruders. 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.
The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Territory

A part of the US with its own legislature but a governor appointed by the president and not admitted as a full state.
Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.territory - a region marked off for administrative or other purposesterritory - a region marked off for administrative or other purposes
administrative district, administrative division, territorial division - a district defined for administrative purposes
border district, borderland, marchland, march - district consisting of the area on either side of a border or boundary of a country or an area; "the Welsh marches between England and Wales"
city district - a district of a town or city
congressional district - a territorial division of a state; entitled to elect one member to the United States House of Representatives
development - a district that has been developed to serve some purpose; "such land is practical for small park developments"
enclave - an enclosed territory that is culturally distinct from the foreign territory that surrounds it
palatinate - a territory under the jurisdiction of a count palatine
residential area, residential district, community - a district where people live; occupied primarily by private residences
goldfield - a district where gold is mined
jurisdiction - in law; the territory within which power can be exercised
mandate, mandatory - a territory surrendered by Turkey or Germany after World War I and put under the tutelage of some other European power until they are able to stand by themselves
associated state, protectorate - a state or territory partly controlled by (but not a possession of) a stronger state but autonomous in internal affairs; protectorates are established by treaty
region - a large indefinite location on the surface of the Earth; "penguins inhabit the polar regions"
possession - a territory that is controlled by a ruling state
trust territory, trusteeship - a dependent country; administered by another country under the supervision of the United Nations
British East Africa - the former British territories of eastern Africa, including Kenya, Tanganyika, Uganda, and Zanzibar
British West Africa - the former British territories of western Africa, including Nigeria, Cameroon, Gambia, Togo, Sierra Leone, and the Gold Coast
2.territory - an area of knowledge or interest; "his questions covered a lot of territory"
area - a subject of study; "it was his area of specialization"; "areas of interest include..."
3.territory - the geographical area under the jurisdiction of a sovereign state; "American troops were stationed on Japanese soil"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

territory

noun district, area, land, region, state, country, sector, zone, province, patch, turf (U.S. slang), domain, terrain, tract, bailiwick They deny that any of their territory is under rebel control.

New Zealand Territories

Cook Islands, Niue, the Ross Dependency, Tokelau or Union Islands
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

territory

noun
1. An area subject to rule by an outside power:
2. A particular area used for or associated with a specific individual or activity:
Slang: turf.
3. A sphere of activity, experience, study, or interest:
Slang: bag.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
إِقْلِيمإقْليم، مُقاطَعَهمَجال إهْتِمام أو مَعْرِفَه
územídoménaoblaststátní území
territoriumområde
alue
teritorija
felségterület
svæîisviîyfirráîasvæîi
地域
영토
domėjimosi sritisinteresų ratasteritoriniai vandenysteritorinis
interešu lauksjomanozareteritorija
štátne územieúzemie
ozemlje
territorium
อาณาเขต
bölgeilgi veya bilgi alanıyarı bağımlı eyalet
lãnh thổ

territory

[ˈterɪtərɪ] Nterritorio m; [of salesman] → zona f, sector m (Sport) → campo m, terreno m
mandated territoryterritorio m bajo mandato
it comes or goes with the territoryes parte del juego, es un gaje del oficio
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

territory

[ˈtɛrətərɪ] n
[country, state] → territoire m
the occupied territories → les territoires occupés
[animal] → territoire m
(= area of knowledge or experience) → domaine m
familiar territory
All this is familiar territory to readers → Les lecteurs sont ici en terrain familier.
to be on familiar territory → être en terrain familier
(= land) → région f
mountainous territory → région montagneuse
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

territory

n(Staats)gebiet nt, → Territorium nt; (in US, Austral) → Territorium nt; (of animals)Revier nt, → Territorium nt; (Comm: of agent etc) → Bezirk m; (fig)Revier nt, → Gebiet nt; uncharted territories (lit)unerforschte Gebiete pl; (fig)unerforschtes Terrain; the occupied territoriesdie besetzen Gebiete; that comes or goes with the territorydas gehört einfach dazu; such problems have become familiar territorysolche Probleme sind allgegenwärtig geworden
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

territory

[ˈtɛrɪtrɪ] nterritorio
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

territory

(ˈteritəri) plural ˈterritories noun
1. a stretch of land; a region. They explored the territory around the North Pole.
2. the land under the control of a ruler or state. British territory.
3. an area of interest, knowledge etc. Ancient history is outside my territory.
ˌterriˈtorial (-ˈtoː-) adjective
of or belonging to (especially national) territory. territorial rights/claims.
territorial waters
the sea close to a country, considered to belong to it.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

territory

إِقْلِيم území territorium Gebiet επικράτεια territorio alue territoire teritorija territorio 地域 영토 territorium territorium terytorium território территория territorium อาณาเขต bölge lãnh thổ 领土
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
References in classic literature ?
There lay a vast territory, and in that territory were the hugest deposits in the world of iron and coal--the backbone of industrial civilization.
Astor became proprietor of one half of the Indian establishments and goods which the Mackinaw Company had within the territory of the Indian country in the United States, and it was understood that the whole was to be surrendered into his hands at the expiration of five years, on condition that the American Company would not trade within the British dominions.
We have a vast tract of unsettled territory within the boundaries of the United States.
When a chieftain is fighting in his own territory, it is dispersive ground.
And then Tom he talked along and talked along, and says, le's all three slide out of here one of these nights and get an outfit, and go for howling adventures amongst the Injuns, over in the Territory, for a couple of weeks or two; and I says, all right, that suits me, but I ain't got no money for to buy the outfit, and I reckon I couldn't get none from home, because it's likely pap's been back before now, and got it all away from Judge Thatcher and drunk it up.
There is much reason to believe, that the territory which now composes Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and a large portion of the country west of the Mississippi, lay formerly under water.
Objections to the Proposed Constitution From Extent of Territory Answered
What good is territory to Germany, territory over which she must rule by force, struggling always against the accumulated hatred of years?
At dinner the talk turned on the latest political news: Napoleon's seizure of the Duke of Oldenburg's territory, and the Russian Note, hostile to Napoleon, which had been sent to all the European courts.
But it may be urged that when several closely-allied species inhabit the same territory we surely ought to find at the present time many transitional forms.
Between Omaha and the Pacific the railway crosses a territory which is still infested by Indians and wild beasts, and a large tract which the Mormons, after they were driven from Illinois in 1845, began to colonise.
And in the beginning of their expansion on land, through not having much territory, and because of their great reputation, they had not much to fear from their captains; but when they expanded, as under Carmignuola,[#] they had a taste of this mistake; for, having found him a most valiant man (they beat the Duke of Milan under his leadership), and, on the other hand, knowing how lukewarm he was in the war, they feared they would no longer conquer under him, and for this reason they were not willing, nor were they able, to let him go; and so, not to lose again that which they had acquired, they were compelled, in order to secure themselves, to murder him.