jurisdiction

plural jurisdictions

1. countableuncountableThe power, right, or authority to interpret and apply the law.

   legal jurisdiction

   1 more example

   The case falls outside the court’s jurisdiction.

   Synonyms: power, authority, disposition, craft, force, might, potence, potency

2. countableuncountableThe power or right to exercise authority.

   outside the jurisdiction of

   Synonyms: oyer and terminer, soc and sac

3. countableuncountableThe power or right to perform some action as part of applying the law.

   Police officers have no jurisdiction in that district.

   2 more examples

   The Fife County Council, and other objectors, were successful in July [1950] in obtaining an interim interdict against this decision, but the Court of Session withdrew the interdict in January, and it was then stated that a civil court had no jurisdiction in the matter.

   1951 April, “Notes and News: North Fife Line, Scotland”, in Railway Magazine, number 600, page 281

   The Appeal Division of the Social Security Tribunal held that it was without jurisdiction to extend the statutorily established one-year time limit for a complainant to apply to rescind or amend a decision.

   2020 July 23, N. Rosenberg, “Nemish v. King, Walker and Union of National Employees (Public Service Alliance of Canada), 2020 FPSLREB 76”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), retrieved 21 Sep 2020

4. countableuncountableThe authority of a sovereign power to govern or legislate.

   Thus fell that glorious Minion of Edward the Second, who for a time appeared liked [sic.] a blazing Comet, and sway'd the jurisdiction of the state of England, and her Confederates.

   c. 1620s, Elizabeth Cary [misattributed to Henry Cary], The History Of the most unfortunate Prince King Edward II. […] , London: A.G. and F. P., published 1680, page 12

5. countableuncountableThe limits or territory within which authority may be exercised.

   The United Kingdom consists of three jurisdictions: England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

   2 more examples

   The ability to shift profits to low-tax countries by locating intellectual property in them[…]is often assumed to be the preserve of high-tech companies.[…]current tax rules make it easy for all sorts of firms to generate[…]“stateless income”: profit subject to tax in a jurisdiction that is neither the location of the factors of production that generate the income nor where the parent firm is domiciled.

   2013 June 22, “T time”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8841, archived from the original on 11 Jul 2013, page 68

   After the City of Mountain View discovered that their automated license plate reader cameras were being used by the federal government, many Bay Area jurisdictions began to cancel or pause their programs administered by Flock Safety.

   2026 February 24, Dustin Dorsey, “Santa Clara County to stop using Flock Safety cameras in several cities after privacy concerns”, in KGO-TV, archived from the original on 02 Mar 2026