[in-ter-nash-uh-nl] 
| 1. | between or among nations; involving two or more nations: international trade. |
| 2. | of or pertaining 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. |
| 6. | (initial capital letter ) any of several international socialist or communist organizations formed in the 19th and 20th centuries. Compare First International, Second International, Third International, Fourth International, Labor and Socialist International. |
| 7. | (sometimes initial capital letter) a labor union having locals in two or more countries. |
| 8. | an organization, enterprise, or group, esp. a major business concern, having branches, dealings, or members in several countries. |
| 9. | an employee, esp. an executive, assigned to work in a foreign country or countries by a business or organization that has branches or dealings in several countries. |
| in·ter·na·tion·al (ĭn'tər-nāsh'ə-nəl, -nāsh'nəl) adj. Abbr. int. or intl.
Any of several socialist organizations of international scope formed during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. in'ter·na'tion·al'i·ty (-shə-nāl'ĭ-tē) n., in'ter·na'tion·al·ly adv. |
An international organization of workers founded by Karl 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.