Did you know?

Click any word in a definition or example to find the entry for that word

national

 - definition
Close

What are red words?

90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing. These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are more frequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.

Close

Thesaurus

The thesaurus of synonyms and related words is fully integrated into the dictionary entries. Click on the T button in an entry to review the synonyms and related words for that meaning.

more
adjective British English pronunciation: national /ˈnæʃ(ə)nəl/
  1. 1
    relating to one particular nation and not including other nations

    Now let’s take a look at the main national and international news.

    in the national interest (=what is best for the nation):

    It is in the national interest to expose this scandal.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  nationalThesaurus entry for this meaning of national
    1. a.
      relating to the whole of a nation and not just a part of it

      a national conference on air pollution

      House prices in London are 5% higher than the national average.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  nationalThesaurus entry for this meaning of national
  2. 2
    [only before noun] owned or controlled by the government

    the National Museum of Wales

    a national park/monument

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  nationalThesaurus entry for this meaning of national

This is the British English definition of national. View American English definition of national.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to American English.

 

vocal fry

a speech habit in which a speaker lowers their voice at the end of a sentence

BuzzWord Article

Word of the Day Word of the Day

glottal stop

a sound made by stopping air as it passes through your throat. In some varieties of spoken...

Open Dictionary

conflict mineral

a mineral which is mined in a place where there is armed conflict, and sold to help pay for weapons

add a word

Blog

A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.

global English and language change from our blog