territory

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

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

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. The extent or compass of land and the waters thereof within the bounds or belonging to the jurisdiction of any sovereign, state, city, or other body; any separate tract of land as belonging to a state; dominion; sometimes, also, a domain or piece of land belonging to an individual.
2. n. Any extensive tract, region, district, or domain: as, an unexplored territory in Africa.
3. n. [capitalized] In the United States, an organized division of the country, not admitted to the complete rights of Statehood (see state, 13). Its government is conducted by a governor, judges, and other officers appointed from Washington, aided by a Territorial legislature. Each Territory sends one delegate to Congress, who has a voice on Territorial matters, but cannot vote. Territories are formed by act of Congress. When a Territory has sufficient population to entitle it to one representative in the National House of Representatives, it is usually admitted by act of Congress to the Union as a State. Nearly all the States (except the original thirteen) have passed through the Territorial condition. There are now (1891) four organized Territories—Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, and Oklahoma; and there are also two unorganized Territories—the Indian Territory and Alaska. Several countries of Spanish America have a system of Territories analogous to that of the United States.
4. n. Synonyms and Quarter, province.

Wiktionary

1. n. A large extent or tract of land; a region; a country; a district.
2. n. A geographic area under control of a single governing entity such as state or municipality; an area whose borders are determined by the scope of political power rather than solely by natural features such as rivers and ridges.
3. n. zoology An area that an animal of a particular species consistently defends against its conspecifics.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. A large extent or tract of land; a region; a country; a district.
2. n. The extent of land belonging to, or under the dominion of, a prince, state, or other form of government; often, a tract of land lying at a distance from the parent country or from the seat of government.
3. n. In the United States, a portion of the country not included within the limits of any State, and not yet admitted as a State into the Union, but organized with a separate legislature, under a Territorial governor and other officers appointed by the President and Senate of the United States. In Canada, a similarly organized portion of the country not yet formed into a Province.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. an area of knowledge or interest
2. n. a region marked off for administrative or other purposes
3. n. the geographical area under the jurisdiction of a sovereign state