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

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

Tuchel said the onus was now on players to impress in the international set-up.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

Jens-Frederik Nielsen, Greenland’s leader, said “the agreement recognizes Greenland’s interests and our place in international cooperation. This is to the benefit of us all.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

His first film since 2018’s “Burning” and this year’s selection by Korea for the international feature Oscar is Lee’s latest examination of wealth inequality.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

After the initial excitement - and victories - provided by Alonso's attacking football, Chelsea head into the international break with serious questions to answer.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

But to play in an international tournament of the caliber announced, he had to spend much more time at careful, precise study, analysis, and memorization.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

The International Energy Agency recently pushed its timeline for normalized Middle East energy flows into 2027 from late 2026 previously.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026

Rights group Amnesty International said an important first step towards protecting South Africa's women was to recognise femicide as a separate crime.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

Around 70% of its operational inputs, including pipes, chemicals and wellheads, are sourced locally, according to Rebecca Schulz, a senior oil analyst at the International Energy Agency.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

One of those was International IDEA, an intergovernmental organization based in Stockholm and devoted to supporting and strengthening democracy around the world.

From Salon ● Sep. 17, 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

Opener Donald has been included in the 16-player squad for the T20 series, while seamer Crocombe makes the 16-man line-up for the one-day internationals.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

She finishes her career with 25 Test wickets, 101 in one-day internationals and 14 in T20s.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

Turner, who was born in South Africa, represented England in two one-day internationals and two T20 games at the end of 2024 during their tour of the West Indies.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

The three Saturdays in between all host Wales rugby internationals.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 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