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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

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Etymology

Origin of international

First recorded in 1770–80; inter- + national

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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

A year later, she had hired a receptionist and two specialists and felt confident enough to take a two-week holiday, her first international trip of the year.

From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026

It wasn’t until April 2023 that an international arbitration tribunal in The Hague ruled that Gazprom had unlawfully expropriated Naftogaz’s Crimean assets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2026

Nigerian authorities have announced enhanced screenings for international airport arrivals.

From Barron's ● Oct. 25, 2026

While no top-flight manager has been dismissed this season, there are several who will be looking over their shoulder before November's international break.

From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026

Germany was accepted as a member in 1926 and Russia joined in 1934, but ironically, even though Wilson was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 1919, the United States refused to join the international organization.

From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman

That collaboration helped support the establishment of the International Day of the Mediterranean Diet through the United Nations.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2026

The Ballyrobin Road in County Antrim is currently impassable after the junction with the Seven Mile Straight, which may affect journeys to Belfast International Airport.

From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026

"You can't employ drone warfare without this kind of high-speed internet connection," said Vincent Tourret, a researcher at the French Institute of International Relations.

From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026

On average, one Russian refinery was hit every three days during the first eight months of the year, according to the International Energy Agency.

From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026

In 1959 the toy company Mattel introduced a doll at the American International Toy Fair in New York.

From "Women in Space" by Karen Bush Gibson

In T20 internationals, Brook averages 36.21 at a strike-rate of 164.92.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026

Across formats, Brook is only the second man to register a century in internationals T20s, a double hundred in ODIs and a triple century in Tests, following West Indies' great Chris Gayle.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026

That led to several influential players being held back, although they did give first appearances of the season to Wales and Lions internationals Taulupe Faletau and Josh Adams after injury.

From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026

However, Fernandes was fit enough to return for the final two internationals of the extended break.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 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

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