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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

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

Across months of sustained combat operations, the Lincoln team shot down more than 200 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps drones threatening international shipping and U.S. forces.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

A “low-key” campaign will mitigate the threat of dwindling supplies and high casualties, without necessarily providing Trump with a path to victory, said Stephen Biddle, a professor of international and public policy at Columbia University.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

It subsequently went into gradual decline under the ownership of the American group General Motors, which long restricted its international expansion to avoid competition with other GM subsidiaries.

From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026

The 22-year-old Belgium international has signed a five-year contract after West Ham paid what they called a "record fee paid by an EFL Championship club".

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

Throughout the Adams presidency, Jefferson and his Republican followers had been insisting that the French Revolution was the American Revolution on European soil and that France was therefore America’s major international ally.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

World oil demand could fall further than previously expected this year, according to the International Energy Agency.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 16, 2026

International oil prices have oscillated under $90 a barrel in recent days.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

International observers of Zambia's elections said Saturday the poll was marred by claims of intimidation, abductions and an hours-long pause in the vote count.

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

At Ellison Onizuka Kona International - Big Island's largest airport - 40% of flights were grounded, according to flightaware.com, while 80% of flights were called off at the island's other main airport, Hilo International.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

Mir lasted longer than anyone thought it would, but it eventually began sinking in its orbit around the time that construction on the International Space Station began.

From "Women in Space" by Karen Bush Gibson

The three Saturdays in between all host Wales rugby internationals.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

Christopher Hall, a director in the international tax group at PKF O’Connor Davies, said the tax complications for football internationals can be head-spinning.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026

Historically, most of Argentina's internationals have come through private schools in the country's rugby heartlands.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

An off-spinner who played 19 internationals for England, Batty moved on to the coaching staff at Surrey after his retirement in 2021.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 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