multinational

American  

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

noun

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

• multinationalism noun
• multinationally adverb

Etymology

Origin of multinational

First recorded in 1925–30; multi- + national

Example Sentences

France on Wednesday proposed extending Danish-led multinational military exercises now ongoing in Greenland.

From The Wall Street Journal

The driller was one of several multinational oil companies that rushed back into Venezuela in the mid-1990s, 20 years after nationalization boxed them out of the country.

From The Wall Street Journal

If all goes to plan, the first half of the new multinational force should be deployed by April 1, the date when a UN support office will be established, Ramdin said.

From Barron's

As a multinational conglomerate, Baker’s holding company could move cash from one part of the empire to another.

From The Wall Street Journal

The collapse that followed the war turned multinational empires into nation-states and began the “gruesome death” of Central European civilization.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• continental
• global
• multicultural