international waters
17
3.4
- noun
- /ˌɪntəˈnæʃənl ˈwɔːtərz/
:
aguas internacionales
- Fishing regulations are difficult to enforce in international waters since no single nation has jurisdiction there.
- ship in international waters
- piracy in international waters
- vessels in international waters
Examples
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Unregulated fishing occurs on the high seas in international waters beyond the exclusive economic zone.
Academic text (2017) -
Third, to tackle pollution in international waters.
Academic text (2016) -
Let me know when we hit international waters.
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- That ship was in international waters.
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Take the ship to international waters.
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- We're in international waters.
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The Chinese forced down one of our planes that had been operating over international waters.
Blog text (8) -
We sail into international waters and hand everything over to the Navy.
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It was an unprovoked attack on a ship in international waters.
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Once you're in international waters, her policy expires.
Synonyms
14
4.6
An area of the sea outside any country's waters
Antonyms
- Specialized
6
4.9
The area of sea near a country's coast that the country controls
How Free
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'international' (between or among countries) combined with 'waters' (areas of sea) yields 'sea areas not under any single country's jurisdiction.' This follows a common cross-linguistic logic and is easily inferable by a B1 learner who knows both constituents, though detailed legal nuances about jurisdiction might require further explanation.
Etymology
International waters paints a simple picture: the sea outside any nation's control, where international means 'between countries' and waters means 'the sea'. So, the phrase came to mean areas of the ocean that are 'not under any country's control' and are 'open to all nations'.