jurisdiction.

1. The legal authority to decide a matter or exercise power over particular people, activities, or territory.

2. A territory or legal system within which such authority operates.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• have jurisdiction over
• within the jurisdiction
• competing jurisdictions

On the page

The court ruled that it lacked jurisdiction over the overseas transaction.

Several jurisdictions require disclosure of beneficial ownership.

A dispute about jurisdiction delayed any hearing on the merits.

Usage notes

Primary category: academic. Authority sense often uncountable; territorial sense countable, plural jurisdictions. Identify the court, body, subject, or place rather than assuming authority is universal. Authority sense often uncountable. Legal-territory sense: singular jurisdiction; plural jurisdictions. Derived family (not inflections): jurisdictional.