extraterritorial
gb/ˌɛkstɹətˌɛɹɪtˈɔɹiəl/ us/ˌɛkstɹətˌɛɹɪtˈɔɹiəl/
C2
English
Senses
0 senses
adjective
legal
C2
property
1
Applying beyond national borders
An extraterritorial law or power operates outside the country or area that made it.
Usage pattern:
extraterritorial [law/jurisdiction/power/sanction/application/effect]
Common mistake:
Do not use it simply to mean “foreign.” It usually refers to legal or governmental power beyond territorial borders.
Synonyms
cross-border (Broader and less legal; can describe anything involving more than one country.)
|
transnational (Often describes activity across nations, not necessarily legal authority beyond borders.)
|
outside territorial jurisdiction (More explicit legal phrase.)
Antonyms
territorial (Limited to a particular territory or area of jurisdiction.)
|
domestic (Limited to matters within one country.)
Collocations
extraterritorial jurisdiction
|extraterritorial law
|extraterritorial application
|extraterritorial reach
|extraterritorial effect
|extraterritorial sanctions
|extraterritorial powers
|extraterritorial enforcement
Themes
law
|politics
|international_relations
|government
Examples
- The court rejected the company's argument that the statute had no extraterritorial effect.
- Some governments object to the extraterritorial reach of foreign sanctions.
- The new rules raise difficult questions about extraterritorial enforcement.
Learner examples
- The law is extraterritorial because it applies outside the country.
- The company was worried about extraterritorial sanctions.
adjective
formal
C2
property
2
Located outside state territory
Something extraterritorial is outside a country's own territory.
Usage pattern:
extraterritorial [site/facility/detention/processing/operation]
Common mistake:
This use is formal and usually appears in legal, political, or policy contexts, not in ordinary travel descriptions.
Synonyms
offshore (Often used for activities or facilities outside a country, especially on islands or abroad.)
|
overseas (More everyday; means in or to another country, usually across the sea.)
|
external (General term for outside a place or system.)
Antonyms
territorial (Inside or connected with a particular territory.)
|
domestic (Within the home country.)
|
internal (Inside the relevant area or system.)
Collocations
extraterritorial facility
|extraterritorial detention
|extraterritorial processing
|extraterritorial site
|extraterritorial operation
|extraterritorial zone
Themes
law
|politics
|international_relations
|migration
Examples
- The government proposed an extraterritorial processing center for asylum applications.
- Human rights groups criticized the use of extraterritorial detention sites.
- The agreement allowed certain operations to take place in an extraterritorial zone.
Learner examples
- The camp was extraterritorial, so it was outside the country's borders.
- They discussed an extraterritorial site for the program.
adjective
legal
C2
property
3
Exempt from local jurisdiction
If someone or something has extraterritorial status, local law may not fully apply to them.
Usage pattern:
extraterritorial [rights/status/privileges/immunity]
Common mistake:
Embassies are often casually described as extraterritorial, but in strict modern law they are usually not foreign territory; they have diplomatic protections and immunities.
Synonyms
immune (Refers to protection from legal process; less focused on territory.)
|
exempt (General term for not being subject to a rule or obligation.)
|
outside local jurisdiction (Clearer explanatory phrase.)
Antonyms
subject to local law (Directly opposite legal status.)
|
under local jurisdiction (Within the legal authority of the place where located.)
Collocations
extraterritorial rights
|extraterritorial status
|extraterritorial privileges
|extraterritorial immunity
Themes
law
|diplomacy
|international_relations
|history
Examples
- Foreign merchants once enjoyed extraterritorial rights in several treaty ports.
- The company argued that the facility had a special extraterritorial status under the agreement.
- The old treaty granted extraterritorial privileges to certain foreign nationals.
Learner examples
- The treaty gave them extraterritorial rights.
- Their office did not have extraterritorial status.
Grammar
Dictionary form
extraterritorial
IPA
GB/ˌɛkstɹətˌɛɹɪtˈɔɹiəl/
US/ˌɛkstɹətˌɛɹɪtˈɔɹiəl/
Syllables & stress
ex - tra - ter - rit - ori - al (6 syllables)
Stress on 5th syllable (ori)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: extraterritorial
- Comparative: extraterritorialer
- Superlative: extraterritorialest
Expressions
extraterritorial application
1/ˌɛkstɹətˌɛɹɪtˈɔɹiəl ˌæplɪkˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
legal
Use of law abroad
Extraterritorial application means using a law for things that happen outside the country that made the law.
Examples
- The judge found no evidence that Congress intended extraterritorial application of the statute.
- Businesses need guidance on the extraterritorial application of the new data rules.
- The treaty limits the extraterritorial application of national competition laws.
extraterritorial effect
1/ˌɛkstɹətˌɛɹɪtˈɔɹiəl ɪfˈɛkt/
fixed phrase
legal
Legal effect abroad
If a rule has extraterritorial effect, it affects people or actions outside its own country.
Examples
- The court said the regulation was not intended to have extraterritorial effect.
- Critics argue that the policy produces an unlawful extraterritorial effect.
- The ruling may have extraterritorial effect because many foreign companies use the platform.
extraterritorial jurisdiction
1/ˌɛkstɹətˌɛɹɪtˈɔɹiəl d͡ʒˌʊɹɪsdˈɪkʃən/
fixed phrase
legal
Power beyond national borders
Extraterritorial jurisdiction is a government's or court's power to apply law outside its own country.
Examples
- The court considered whether it had extraterritorial jurisdiction over the overseas conduct.
- Several countries objected when the agency claimed extraterritorial jurisdiction.
- The statute gives prosecutors limited extraterritorial jurisdiction in bribery cases.
extraterritorial processing
1/ˌɛkstɹətˌɛɹɪtˈɔɹiəl pɹˈɑsɛsɪŋ/
fixed phrase
formal
Processing outside national territory
Extraterritorial processing means dealing with applications or claims outside the country that is responsible for them.
Examples
- The proposal would create centers for extraterritorial processing of asylum claims.
- Lawyers questioned whether extraterritorial processing would meet human rights standards.
- The government described extraterritorial processing as a way to reduce dangerous journeys.
extraterritorial reach
1/ˌɛkstɹətˌɛɹɪtˈɔɹiəl ɹˈit͡ʃ/
fixed phrase
formal
Extent beyond borders
The extraterritorial reach of a law is how far it affects things outside the country that made it.
Examples
- Banks complained about the extraterritorial reach of the sanctions regime.
- The report questions the extraterritorial reach of the country's privacy laws.
- The company underestimated the extraterritorial reach of anti-corruption rules.
extraterritorial rights
1/ˌɛkstɹətˌɛɹɪtˈɔɹiəl ɹˈaɪts/
fixed phrase
legal
Special rights beyond local law
Extraterritorial rights let foreigners avoid some local laws or courts because of a special agreement.
Examples
- The treaty granted extraterritorial rights to foreign traders.
- Nationalist movements demanded an end to extraterritorial rights.
- The history course examined how extraterritorial rights operated in treaty ports.
extraterritorial sanctions
1/ˌɛkstɹətˌɛɹɪtˈɔɹiəl sˈæŋkʃənz/
fixed phrase
legal
Sanctions affecting foreign conduct
Extraterritorial sanctions are penalties that a country uses to affect people or companies outside its own borders.
Examples
- The company changed its payment systems to avoid extraterritorial sanctions.
- Several allies criticized the extraterritorial sanctions as an overreach.
- Extraterritorial sanctions can force foreign firms to choose between two markets.