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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The China Coast Guard claimed that the patrol around the Senkaku Islands was carried out in accordance with the law, referring to the Coast Guard Law that was introduced in 2021, which gives permission to fire on foreign vessels within territorial waters claimed by Beijing. Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 May 2025 Pope Francis used final Easter address to call for Gaza ceasefire The Maltese government said maritime authorities had received a mayday call shortly after midnight local time from a vessel outside of territorial waters, with 12 crew members and four civilians on board, reporting a fire. Christopher Scicluna and Ilze Filks, USA Today, 2 May 2025 Any country can allow deep-sea mining in its own territorial waters, roughly up to 200 nautical miles from shore, and companies are already lining up to mine U.S. waters. Ernest Scheyder and Jarrett Renshaw, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2025 The assaults forced Russia’s fleet to retreat to the eastern part of the sea, far from Ukrainian shores, allowing Ukraine to secure a new shipping corridor that hugs its coast before entering the territorial waters of NATO members. Constant Méheut, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for territorial waters

Word History

First Known Use

1841, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of territorial waters was in 1841

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Territorial waters.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/territorial%20waters. Accessed 17 May. 2025.

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

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