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Definition of "territoriality" [ter•ri•to•ri•al•i•ty]

  • The status of a territory. (noun)
  • A behavior pattern in animals consisting of the occupation and defense of a territory. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "territoriality" in a sentence
  • "Viz., it appears that territoriality is an issue after all."
  • "Greater interdependence means that territoriality is no longer entitled to the hold it has had over the private international law of IP."
  • "One popular but now outdated theory is that the brain has three parts: the reptilian brain, which includes the structures and functions we share with reptiles such as territoriality; the paleomammalian brain, a group of related structures that manages social emotions and behaviors like nurturing or reciprocity in all mammals; and the neocortex, which manages evaluation and reasoning in the most complex mammals, especially humans."