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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

Though the U.S. softness is real, the analysts write, “we believe the current valuation largely reflects these domestic risks while insufficiently differentiating Netflix’s mature US business from its less- developed, higher growth international opportunity.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

On Tuesday the residents' spokesperson Breandan Mac Cionnaith described the prospect of mediation as "dead in the water", having said Monday that residents would be open to a process involving an international mediator.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

The study was supported in part by the European Research Council, Science Foundation Ireland and the Irish Research Council, alongside international partners.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 30, 2026

Supporters of Botswana's hunting policy, however, argue that international criticism often overlooks the costs borne by rural communities living alongside one of the world's biggest concentrations of elephants.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

The Harvard professor was known for his vast knowledge of international affairs—and his habit of insulting whoever was not in the room.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin

According to the International Energy Agency, global exports of diesel in August reached 4.6 million barrels a day, down from 5.1 million barrels a day the same month last year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

If completed as scheduled, it will be the fastest trip to the International Space Station by a U.S. spacecraft in the station's history.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 30, 2026

"The message is very clear. The ocean is changing rapidly," said Pierre Bahurel, director general of Mercator Ocean International, which runs the European Union's Copernicus Marine Service.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

The Flydubai plane - which took off from Dubai International Airport in the United Arab Emirates early on Wednesday morning - signalled an emergency code two hours into the journey, flight tracking website Flightradar24 said.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

“It was determined that a cub should be released when it’s about two years of age,” says Suzanne Braden, of Pandas International.

From "Camp Panda" by Catherine Thimmesh

In white-ball cricket, Wood retires as England's sixth-highest wicket-taker in men's T20s with 54 from 38 matches, and he took 80 scalps in 70 one-day internationals.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

The series concludes at Old Trafford on Saturday and is followed by three one-day internationals.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

While England internationals George Kruis and Alex Goode have made moves there in the past, there has been a shift lately to favour Japanese players over big-money imports.

From BBC ● Sep. 16, 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

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