# come with the territory

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/come-with-the-territory
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To be a common, and often inconvenient, accompaniment of an occupation, situation, or occurrence.

## Examples

- Long hours come with the territory in this job.
- Sore muscles come with the territory when you start a new exercise routine.
- Dealing with angry customers is unpleasant, but it comes with the territory when you work in retail.
- If you want to be a professional athlete, traveling every week and missing family events simply comes with the territory.
- While the fame and public adoration were rewarding, the constant lack of privacy was a burden that inevitably came with the territory of being a world-renowned artist.

## Origin

Probably an allusion to the commercial districts assigned to travelling salesmen, the phrase likely emerged from the necessary, if occasionally tiresome, difficulties inherent to such a post. The travel, the lodgings, and the professional rebuffs were understood to be inseparable from the job. The expression suggests that a specific role cannot be neatly detached from its less agreeable requirements. (disputed)

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.