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Glite Dictionary
United States waters

United States waters

3.5
Sea within 12 nautical miles of United States coasts and territories where the country has control
  • noun
  • Formal
translation icon : aguas de los Estados Unidos
  • Applying these provisions only to American flag vessels, which are subject to the acts of Congress wherever they may be, would permit a great percentage of the ships traversing United States waters to avoid liability altogether, regardless of their culpability.

Examples

  • Fishing is only allowed in certain areas of United States waters to protect marine life.

  • Boating regulations are strictly enforced in United States waters close to the coastline.

  • Many shipwrecks have been discovered within United States waters near popular tourist destinations.

Synonyms

territorial waters
vsUnited States waters
  • Specialized
6 4.9

The area of sea near a country's coast that the country controls

refers specifically to the nation's twelve nautical mile zone claiming sovereignty
U.S. waters
vsUnited States waters
2 4.1

Sea area extending 12 nautical miles from the United States coast under United States law

emphasizes sovereign control over the nation's coastal sea up to twelve miles

Surface Forms

United States waters singular
United States waters plural

Morphology

united + state + water

The meaning is directly compositional: 'United States' denotes the country and 'waters' denotes sea/territorial water areas, so a learner who knows those words can infer it refers to maritime areas belonging to the United States. The phrase follows ordinary possessive/location logic found cross-linguistically, so its meaning is immediately recoverable without prior exposure to legal specifics.

Etymology

The term United States waters simply names the United States and the waters near its coast, giving an image of the country 'owning' the nearby sea. So, it means the area of sea where the United States can 'make rules'.