Jump To:

• 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

Trivia Time

Which international bestseller follows a young shepherd named Santiago on a journey to Egypt?

Test Your Knowledge

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

---

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 /

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

---

noun

1. sport

   1. a contest between two national teams

   2. a member of these teams

International ² 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

---

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.

---

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

The results offer a different perspective from several major international research reviews.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2026

And they started brightly, with Katie Buchanan collecting the ball on the wing, beating a defender and sprinting over the line to give them a fifth-minute lead in her first international start.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

Strong international sales have cushioned the blow, but Pepsi still cut its profit outlook for the second time this year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

"After several months of verification and certification, FAI ratification now gives this achievement full international recognition," the SolarStratos team said a statement.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

Two months after the flight that earned her the Order of Lenin, the fateful wind behind her would make her an international celebrity.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

"With Japan's population shrinking by more than 900,000 a year... we have no choice but to rely on foreign workers," said Menju, a visiting professor at the Kansai University of International Studies.

From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026

Among the most important items aboard Dragon is the final set of International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Arrays, known as IROSAs.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

Granted by the International Astronomical Union in 2011, the status aims to safeguard the right of any citizen to enjoy the night sky by helping to limit light pollution.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

Speaking Friday at the International Monetary Fund and World Bank’s annual meeting in Bangkok, Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh declined to share any expectations for the central bank’s upcoming rate-setting meeting.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

He’d been invited to speak in Chicago the next month to the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, a conservative and influential group of TB experts.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

Indeed, Scott herself has launched her own YouTube show this season, One More Word WSL, which she presents on a Sunday night alongside ex-England internationals Anita Asante and Fara Williams.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

But, with the backing of Australian businessman Grant Wechsel, former Brisbane Broncos star Darren Lockyer and a squad full of internationals, they do still harbour hopes of playing in Super League in 2027.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

Last chance saloon for a few of them come next internationals.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

West Indies dominated India's bowlers to pile up their highest ever total in one-day internationals.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 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

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• foreign
• global
• universal

---