: the waters under the sovereign jurisdiction of a nation or state including both marginal sea and inland waters
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebAfter Pelosi's departure, China’s navy and air force began conducting military exercises in six zones around Taiwan with some overlapping Taiwan’s territorial waters.Fox News, 6 Aug. 2022 Fishermen are likely to be the most affected by the drills, which cover six different areas surrounding Taiwan, part of which come into the island’s territorial waters. Johnson Lai And Huizhong Wu, Anchorage Daily News, 5 Aug. 2022 Fishermen are likely to be the most affected by the drills, which cover six different areas surrounding Taiwan, part of which come into the island’s territorial waters. Johnson Lai And Huizhong Wu, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 Aug. 2022 Soon after her arrival, Beijing announced plans for live-fire military drills, some in areas overlapping with the island’s territorial waters. Paul Mozur, BostonGlobe.com, 2 Aug. 2022 Soon after her arrival, Beijing announced plans for live-fire military drills, some in areas overlapping with the island’s territorial waters.New York Times, 2 Aug. 2022 Although three of the sea zones China had designated for exercises intruded on territorial waters claimed by Taiwan, in practice Chinese missiles and ships avoided those waters.New York Times, 25 Aug. 2022 The zone is different from territorial waters, which generally extend 12 nautical miles from a nation’s shoreline. Peter Landers, WSJ, 5 Aug. 2022 The zone is outside of the country’s territorial waters, where international ships can pass freely. Chris Buckley, BostonGlobe.com, 4 Aug. 2022 See More
Word History
First Known Use
1841, in the meaning defined above
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