Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

multilateral

American  
[muhl-ti-lat-er-uhl] / ˌmʌl tɪˈlæt ər əl /

adjective

  1. having several or many sides; many-sided.

  2. participated in by more than two nations, parties, etc.; multipartite.

    multilateral agreements on disarmament.


multilateral British  
/ ˌmʌltɪˈlætərəl, -ˈlætrəl /

adjective

  1. of or involving more than two nations or parties

    a multilateral pact

  2. having many sides

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms


Etymology

Origin of multilateral

First recorded in 1690–1700; multi- + lateral


Vocabulary lists containing multilateral

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Instead he suggested like-minded nations should club together to create a new form of multilateral global governance in an increasingly turbulent world where – in the minds of some others - might is right.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

"I call on states and companies to mobilise urgently through multilateral fora to chart a path for action to govern advanced, frontier Al models, grounded in international human rights law."

From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026

Yet in 2025, climate finance from multilateral development banks to low- and middle-income countries topped $103 billion—nearly half of all their financing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

But it is not the only multilateral event growing in size and scope.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026

I could escape the stage-managed multilateral meetings and sit-downs with leaders and find new ways to bring a little extra warmth to those otherwise staid visits.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 14,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training