English Reference
adjective · noun

multinational

adj. · n.
US /ˌməɫˌtaɪˈnæʃənəɫ/ UK /mˌʌltɪnˈæʃənəl/ multi·na·tion·al UK spelling multinationals

  1. 01 B2 Upper Intermediate

    adj.operating or having offices and factories in many different countries.

    adj.operating, or having subsidiary branches and assets, in multiple sovereign states. Often used to describe large corporations.

    Simple

    She works for a large multinational bank with offices in London, Tokyo, and New York.

    In context

    The multinational corporation faced significant regulatory hurdles while attempting to harmonise its employment contracts across three different continents.

  2. 02 C1 Advanced AcademicFormal

    adj.involving or including people from several different nations.

    adj.relating to, or involving, more than two nations or ethnic groups within a single political framework.

    Simple

    The peacekeeping force was a multinational effort to bring peace to the region.

    In context

    The summit aimed to establish a multinational agreement on carbon emissions, requiring cooperation between both developed and developing economies.

  3. 03 B2 Upper Intermediate

    n.a very large company that does business in many countries.

    n.a large commercial organisation with operations and subsidiaries in multiple countries. Often used in economic critiques or business reporting.

    Simple

    Many multinationals are moving their headquarters to cities with lower taxes.

    In context

    Economists argue that large multinationals often wield more political influence than the smaller nations in which they operate.

Usage multinational body · multinational company · multinational corporation

He advises senior management at Chinese and multinational corporations in the region which gives him a unique insight into the world’s second-largest economy.

BBC News· 25 Aug 2026

Then, too, he observes, sometimes customer pressure gets firms, even large multinationals, to improve working conditions, either for the firm's own workers or along its supply chain.

Phys.org· 18 Aug 2026

From multi- + national.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Frequent
Updated