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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

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

They also pointed to its potential impact on the food industry and international trade agreements.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

The picture depends considerably on international gas prices.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

Pope Leo XIV warned on Monday that relations between nations were becoming increasingly uncivilised with people boasting of "lies and deceit", urging Europe to help break the spiral and foster respect in international ties.

From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026

The home secretary will say the UK wants to "live up to our international obligations" by helping those who are fleeing war and persecution, but the process must be "capped and controlled".

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 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

In 2020, North Korea made possessing foreign media a crime punishable by years-long forced labour terms –- and potential death sentences for large-scale distribution, according to Amnesty International.

From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026

Only a year ago, after “Obsession” premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, and before it grossed $519.4 million worldwide, her professional reality looked much different.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026

Scientists analyzed blood samples from 52 astronauts who spent months aboard the International Space Station and found signs that the digestive system begins changing relatively soon after astronauts leave Earth.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 28, 2026

The International Energy Agency forecasts global oil demand will contract by about 2.5 million barrels a day in 2026.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026

I’d been fearing the International Festival since Monday’s drama, cursing the day I’d heard about it.

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

Canada are not the only country to do this - PWR is littered with top internationals from across the globe.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

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

Their bench for the win over Aston Villa contained nine full internationals with two of those - Merino and Zubimendi - World Cup winners.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

The 25-year-old also joins a unique trio of players that have broken the British transfer record twice in their careers during the Premier League era along with former England internationals Alan Shearer and Rio Ferdinand.

From BBC ● Sep. 1, 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