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.
In addition to the challenge of finding the appropriate music for a 1970s spy thriller set in Russia, “Ponies” music supervisor Kier Lehman couldn’t license any music from the country due to current international sanctions.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026
He won the Overseas Press Club award for best commentary on international affairs in 2026 and the National Press Club award for political analysis in 2024.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026
"Our ambition is to be able to connect to over 100 international cities over the next five years," Douglas said.
From Barron's • Jun. 10, 2026
While they remain heavily favoured to progress from the play-offs, they could have used the autumn international break to play friendly matches and try new things.
From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026
A couple have stacks with international editions of the books.
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
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.
