multinational

American  

[muhl-tee-nash-uh-nl, muhl-tahy-] / ˌmʌl tiˈnæʃ ə nl, ˌmʌl taɪ- /

noun

1. a large corporation with operations and subsidiaries in several countries.

---

adjective

1. of, relating to, or involving several nations.

2. noting or pertaining to multinationals.

multinational British  

/ ˌmʌltɪˈnæʃənəl /

adjective

1. (of a large business company) operating in several countries

---

noun

1. such a company

Other Word Forms

• multinationalism noun
• multinationally adverb

Etymology

Origin of multinational

First recorded in 1925–30; multi- + national

Example Sentences

Alexandra Wexler is a reporter for The Wall Street Journal in Johannesburg, where she writes about African companies and multinational firms doing business in Africa.

From The Wall Street Journal

They together cover areas including Chinese and multinational companies, industry and trade policy, supply chain and the tech rivalry between the U.S. and China.

From The Wall Street Journal

Wald doesn’t think investors should oversimplify and assume that a strong dollar is always a headwind for big U.S. multinational companies—or a weak dollar supportive because it makes exports cheaper.

From Barron's

One ran a multinational salad company, the other a tiny bank with four branches.

From The Wall Street Journal

Greensands Future, which is backed by a consortium led by British multinational chemicals company Ineos, will become the EU's first large-scale offshore CO2 storage site, when commercial operations get underway in the next few months.

From BBC

Related Words

• continental
• global
• multicultural