English · Word Candidate

multinational

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: multinationals

Sense 1

Meaning · English

Of, or involving more than two nations (externally between countries or internally in a country).

Adjective

Examples

AS a young student at the multinational Aramco school in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, Fadi Jaber, a son of Palestinian refugees, always preferred his American classmates’ cupcakes, brownies and chocolate chip cookies to his mother’s pastries: knafah, qatayef and baklawah.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Meaning · English

Operating, or having subsidiary companies in multiple countries (especially more than two).

Adjective

Examples

By operating within many nations, but ouside them at the same time, multinational firms create possibilities of change even in the world political structure

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 3

Meaning · English

A multinational company.

Noun

Examples

The G8 leaders also called on multinationals to make a full disclosure to the taxman over how much tax they pay in different countries.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “multinational” mean?

Of, or involving more than two nations (externally between countries or internally in a country).

Is “multinational” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.