between or among nations; involving two or more nations.
international trade.
of or relating to two or more nations or their citizens.
a matter of international concern.
pertaining to the relations between nations.
international law.
having members or activities in several nations.
an international organization.
transcending national boundaries or viewpoints.
an international benefit;
an international reputation.
(initial capital letter) any of several international socialist or communist organizations formed in the 19th and 20th centuries.
(sometimes initial capital letter) a labor union having locals in two or more countries.
an organization, enterprise, or group, especially a major business concern, having branches, dealings, or members in several countries.
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.
of, concerning, or involving two or more nations or nationalities
established by, controlling, or legislating for several nations
an international court
international fishing rights
available for use by all nations
international waters
any of several international socialist organizations See Comintern First International Labour and Socialist International Second International Socialist International Trotskyist International Vienna Union
a member of any of these organizations
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.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Billed as the new poster boy for Bosnian football, the German-born winger has often been used as a substitute at international level, including both play-off ties, but started both friendlies before the World Cup.
From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026
When international trade in goods and international trade in services were combined, Canadian exports rose 1% and imports nudged up 0.5%.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
But after making its only appearance in the European championship in 2000, when Ryerson was 2, the country’s soccer program hit hard times, going 18 years without playing in a major international competition.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026
Official readouts and state media reports have not said whether Xi and Kim discussed North Korea's nuclear weapons development, for which Pyongyang languishes under international sanctions.
From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026
The Cold War is over, and fear of communist expansion has been replaced by the menace of international terrorism.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
