[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/territorial/)

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# territorial

adjective (territorial; more territorial)

«territorial» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Territorial means about land or an area that belongs to a country or person («territorial waters»). [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/territorial/#m1)
2. A territorial animal defends its own area and chases others away from it. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/territorial/#m2)
3. A territorial person gets cross when others use what they think is theirs, like their seat or desk. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/territorial/#m3)

### In the lessons

In science lessons, robins, cats, dogs and many fish are territorial: they mark and defend a patch. In geography and the news, «territorial waters» are the sea near a country's coast that belongs to it, and «territorial disputes» are arguments between countries about land. In everyday life it describes someone guarding their space.

### Examples

- Robins are very territorial and fight other robins. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/territorial/#x1)
- Our cat is territorial about the garden. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/territorial/#x2)
- The boat crossed into another country's territorial waters. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/territorial/#x3)
- The two countries have a territorial dispute about an island. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/territorial/#x4)
- My brother is territorial about his side of the bedroom. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/territorial/#x5)
- Dogs bark at the gate because they are territorial. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/territorial/#x6)
- In Australia, the Northern Territory is a territorial area, not a state. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/territorial/#x7)

### Note

Adjective from «territory». Stress: «terri-TOR-ee-ul». Being territorial is natural in animals, not a sign that the animal is bad.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «territorial» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/territorial/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«territorial» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/territorial.html) on Mova free.