multinational

American  

[muhl-tee-nash-uh-nl, muhl-tahy-] / ˌmʌl tiˈnæʃ ə nl, ˌmʌl taɪ- /

noun

• multinationals
  plural

1. a large corporation with operations and subsidiaries in several countries.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or involving several nations.

2. noting or pertaining to multinationals.

multinational British  

/ ˌmʌltɪˈnæʃənəl /

adjective

1. (of a large business company) operating in several countries

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noun

1. such a company

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• multinationalism
  noun
• multinationally
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• multinationals
  plural

Etymology

Origin of multinational

First recorded in 1925–30; multi- + national

Explanation

When something is described as multinational, it involves more than two countries. A multinational corporation buys and sells in several countries, and it may also have offices in these countries. A multinational conflict is a war that involves the governments of three or more countries. Multinational peacekeepers might be from an organization like the United Nations (which could also be described as a multinational organization), working in many countries toward a peaceful agreement between them. The adjective multinational uses the prefix multi-, or "many," adding it to national, from the Latin nationem, "birth, kind, or tribe."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

multinational multinationals

"It really is a multinational environment and there are so many objects that are not controllable."

From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026

Some studies suggest that the cartels - which function very much like multinational companies with various business interests - do use content creators as community managers, to promote their "brand".

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

She began writing straight out of college, freelanced for years and eventually followed a path taken by many young Filipinos: joining a multinational in the country's booming outsourcing industry.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

One of the original multinational corporations, only 20% of its employees are in the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

Each of these phases is specialized and unique, and neither India nor China nor Russia has a critical mass of talent that can handle the whole product cycle for a big American multinational.

From "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman

They are mainly designed to persuade multinationals away from making everything in China and Asia, and at the very least consider moving to North America, with hopes of greater investment in the U.S.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 22, 2026

Third-quarter GDP growth will likely accelerate to at least a 5% annual pace due to continued onshoring efforts from U.S. multinationals, booming U.S. energy exports, strong retail sales growth and AI productivity gains.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026

The tax applies to tech multinationals like Apple, Google, Meta, and Amazon, specifically targeting firms with global digital revenues exceeding £500 million and UK revenues over £25 million.

From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026

A Coca-Cola win would remove a potential liability that has been hanging over the company for a decade and give comfort to multinationals facing similar audits.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026

These multinationals went global for markets and labor, spearheaded first by the expansion of the Dutch and English joint-stock companies and the Industrial Revolution.

From "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman

Related Words

• continental
• global
• multicultural