Meaning & use
jurisdictional boundaries
Last updated
Meanings
nounplurallegalformal
The limits of the area or matters over which a court, police force or other authority has legal power.
Grammar: Used as a plural noun; the singular is 'jurisdictional boundary'.
Patterns
- within jurisdictional boundaries
- cross jurisdictional boundaries
- respect jurisdictional boundaries
The two police departments agreed to share information within their jurisdictional boundaries.
A crime committed across jurisdictional boundaries can be investigated by more than one agency.
The court said the case fell outside its jurisdictional boundaries.
nounpluralformal
The dividing lines between the areas of responsibility of different organizations or officials.
Grammar: Often used figuratively for who is allowed to decide what, not only for physical areas.
Patterns
- blur jurisdictional boundaries
- overstep jurisdictional boundaries
- define jurisdictional boundaries
Remote work has blurred the jurisdictional boundaries between teams.
Managers sometimes argue about jurisdictional boundaries instead of solving the problem.
Word forms
| singular | jurisdictional boundary |
|---|
Common combinations
- within jurisdictional boundaries
- All the inspections were carried out within jurisdictional boundaries.
- cross jurisdictional boundaries
- Fraud cases often cross jurisdictional boundaries.
- blur jurisdictional boundaries
- New technology has blurred jurisdictional boundaries in policing.
- respect jurisdictional boundaries
- Both agencies promised to respect jurisdictional boundaries.
- jurisdictional boundaries of a court
- The jurisdictional boundaries of the court are set by statute.
Synonyms and how they differ
- jurisdiction
- Names the power or area itself, not the line around it: 'outside our jurisdiction' is more common than 'outside our jurisdictional boundaries'.
- remit
- A formal British word for the range of duties someone is given; it is about tasks, while jurisdictional boundaries are about legal power and territory.
Word family
- jurisdiction noun
- The official power to make legal decisions, or the area where that power applies.
- jurisdictional adjective
- Relating to jurisdiction, as in 'a jurisdictional question'.
Commonly confused: jurisdictional boundaries or geographical boundaries?
jurisdictional boundaries vs geographical boundaries
Geographical boundaries are physical or map lines; jurisdictional boundaries are about who has legal authority, and the two do not always match.
Practice
The investigation crossed several ___ because three states were involved.
Choose one answer.
'Jurisdictional boundaries' is the fixed plural phrase. 'Jurisdiction boundaries' is possible but much less usual, 'boundarys' is a misspelling, and 'jurisdictions boundary' has the plural in the wrong place.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “jurisdictional boundaries”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.