territory
4 ENTRIES FOUND:
plural
territories
plural
territories
Britannica Dictionary definition of TERRITORY
1
a
:
an area of land that belongs to or is controlled by a government
[noncount]
-
Those mountains are in Mexican territory.
-
We're entering enemy territory. [=an area of land that belongs to or is controlled by our enemy]
[count]
-
disputed territories
b
[count]
:
one of the parts of the United States that is not a state
-
Guam is a U.S. territory.
c
[count]
:
any one of the large parts that some countries are divided into
-
Canada's Yukon Territory
2
:
an area that an animal or group of animals uses and defends
[count]
-
The birds are busy establishing territories and building nests.
[noncount]
-
Male cats spray to mark territory.
3
[noncount]
:
an area of land or water
— sometimes used figuratively
-
We've covered a lot of territory today. [=we have traveled a long distance]
-
The goal of the expedition is to map unexplored/uncharted territory.
-
an area of study that was unexplored/uncharted territory at the time
-
Let's get the meeting started. We have a lot of territory to cover today. [=a lot to talk about, decide, etc.]
-
Dealing with our cars and the mechanic is her territory. [=something she is in charge of]
-
As the conversation turned to politics, I knew we were heading into dangerous territory.
4
[count]
:
an area that someone is responsible for when doing a job
-
a salesman whose territory includes New England and upstate New York
5
[count]
sports
:
the area on a playing field (such as a football field) that is defended by a particular team
-
They started deep in their own territory and went all the way down the field to score a touchdown.
come/go with the territory
:
to be a natural part of a particular situation, position, or area of work
-
Of course players get injured sometimes. It comes with the territory.
