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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

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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 /

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 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

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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

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Etymology

Origin of international

First recorded in 1770–80; inter- + national

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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

An international research team led by The University of Manchester investigated volcanic material from the 2021 Tajogaite eruption on La Palma, Spain.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 13, 2026

Providing he is fit, Van Dijk will make his 390th appearance for Liverpool when they take on Manchester United after the international break.

From BBC ● Nov. 13, 2026

In August, it projected headline inflation of 2.7% in 2026, reflecting higher international oil prices and improved economic conditions, before easing to 2.2% in 2027 as oil prices stabilize.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 13, 2026

Norwegian Energy Minister Terje Aasland stressed ahead of the ruling that his country is contributing to the fight against climate change in line with its international commitments.

From Barron's ● Nov. 13, 2026

The Soviets were all not just professional players, but grandmasters, the designation given to the highest-rated chess masters who have distinguished themselves in international tournaments.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

The International Energy Agency is scheduled to publish its November oil-market report later Friday, providing updated estimates of global supply, demand and inventories.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 13, 2026

The findings, published in the International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, suggest that protein sources may be associated with male hormone levels in different ways.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 13, 2026

The chip designer’s growth appears solid for now, with TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo writing on X that the CEO transition would not affect Nvidia’s "product development and competitiveness" until 2028 at the earliest.

From Barron's ● Nov. 12, 2026

Before she caught the public art bug, the artist — who won the International Sculpture Center’s 2026 lifetime achievement award — caught the monumental art bug.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 12, 2026

Now I have to do the real thing, in time for the International Festival, ten days away.

From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan

"Weighing up all the factors, this just felt like the best fit. It's a really strong squad: past internationals, present internationals, future internationals. I just thought it would be an exciting challenge."

From BBC ● Nov. 12, 2026

He had surgery in September and looked set to return down under when he travelled to Australia for the series that begins with the first of three one-day internationals in Perth on Friday.

From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2026

Tuchel has suggested he may use a rotation system for the pair once more in the upcoming internationals, which will only increase scrutiny on England's goalkeeping position.

From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2026

The home side were able to strike just before half-time with Rees-Zammit starting and finishing the move for his first try in eight internationals.

From BBC ● Nov. 7, 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

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