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• international
  international

  adjective

  between or among nations; involving two or more nations.
• International
  International

  noun

  any of several international socialist organizations See Comintern First International Labour and Socialist International Second International Socialist International Trotskyist International Vienna Union

international

American  

[in-ter-nash-uh-nl, -nash-nl] / ˌɪn tərˈnæʃ ə nl, -ˈnæʃ nl /

adjective

1. between or among nations; involving two or more nations.

   international trade.

2. of or relating to two or more nations or their citizens.

   a matter of international concern.

3. pertaining to the relations between nations.

   international law.

4. having members or activities in several nations.

   an international organization.

5. transcending national boundaries or viewpoints.

   an international benefit;

   an international reputation.

   Synonyms:

   cosmopolitan, worldwide

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noun

• internationals
  plural

1. (initial capital letter) any of several international socialist or communist organizations formed in the 19th and 20th centuries.

2. (sometimes initial capital letter) a labor union having locals in two or more countries.

3. an organization, enterprise, or group, especially a major business concern, having branches, dealings, or members in several countries.

4. an employee, especially an executive, assigned to work in a foreign country or countries by a business or organization that has branches or dealings in several countries.

International ¹ British  

/ ˌɪntəˈnæʃənəl /

noun

1. any of several international socialist organizations See Comintern First International Labour and Socialist International Second International Socialist International Trotskyist International Vienna Union

2. a member of any of these organizations

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international ² British  

/ ˌɪntəˈnæʃənəl /

adjective

1. of, concerning, or involving two or more nations or nationalities

2. established by, controlling, or legislating for several nations

   an international court

   international fishing rights

3. available for use by all nations

   international waters

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noun

1. sport

   1. a contest between two national teams

   2. a member of these teams

International Cultural  

1. An international organization of workers founded by Karl Marx (see also Marx) in the 1860s. Weakened by disputes, it was dissolved in 1876, but it was succeeded by three later Internationals, which sought to spread communism throughout the world. The most effective of these was the Third International, formed by the Soviet Union in 1919 and dissolved in 1943 by Joseph Stalin.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• internationality
  noun
• noninternational
  adjective
• pseudointernational
  adjective
• quasi-international
  adjective
• uninternational
  adjective
• internationally
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• internationals
  plural

Etymology

Origin of international

First recorded in 1770–80; inter- + national

Explanation

International is an adjective that describes something that involves two or more countries, like international laws that multiple countries obey, or an international flight from France to Japan. Break international into two halves to understand its meaning. The first half is the prefix inter-, which means “among,” or “between.” In the second half, you can see the word nation. Put them together and the word literally means “among or between nations.” Driving from the United States into Canada is an international road trip since you travel from on nation to another, and an international conference has guests from all over the world.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

international International internationals

Described by SeaWorld as “an unprecedented international whale rescue effort,” the goal is to safely relocate the animals to suitable facilities, including aquariums and marine parks as far away as Atlanta and Valencia, Spain.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026

Before calling Ibrahimovic, Haaland joked that the former Sweden international told him never to cut his long hair.

From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026

The previous year, Harry founded the international Invictus Games for wounded soldiers, which still holds annual events.

From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026

They demonstrate that, together, freedom-loving nations are capable of defending a civilized international order.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026

Finally, to top it all off and heighten its dramatic appeal, the petition arrived under the signature of Benjamin Franklin, whose patriotic credentials and international reputation were beyond dispute.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Sunday, Reno-Stead Airport, just north of the blaze, had been closed, but Reno-Tahoe International Airport remained open.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026

It has become tradition that the United States president contacts the winner at Trump International Golf Links in the immediate aftermath of their success.

From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026

The researchers described the technique in the journal Ceramics International.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026

The president is also pursuing a ballroom in Doonbeg, Ireland, at his Trump International Golf Links & Hotel.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026

In Naima’s village, on International Mother Language Day, when the whole country celebrated the beauty of their Bangla language, the leaders gave a prize to the girl who painted the best alpanas.

From "Rickshaw Girl" by Mitali Perkins

Andrew played 79 Tests, 141 one-day internationals and seven T20s for England and was part of the iconic 2005 Ashes series win.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

The actions of the Argentina players on the pitch were heavily criticised by former England internationals.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

Christopher Hall, a director in the international tax group at PKF O’Connor Davies, said the tax complications for football internationals can be head-spinning.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026

Historically, most of Argentina's internationals have come through private schools in the country's rugby heartlands.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

Many of the internationals understand the trauma of trying to get an American visa and that is a good place to start a friendship.”

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Related Words

• foreign
• global
• universal