national
adjective
na·tion·al
| \ ˈnash-nəl
, ˈna-shə-nᵊl\
, ˈna-shə-nᵊl\
Definition of national
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: of or relating to a nation
national boundaries the national flag
2
: nationalist
3
: comprising or characteristic of a nationality
his national accent was plainly audible— Elinor Wylie
4
: belonging to or maintained by the federal government
the National Museum of American History
5
: of, relating to, or being a coalition (see coalition sense 2) government formed by most or all major political parties usually in a crisis
national
nounDefinition of national (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: one that owes allegiance to or is under the protection of a nation without regard to the more formal status of citizen or subject
2
: a competition that is national in scope
—usually used in plural
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Synonyms & Antonyms for national
Synonyms: Adjective
Synonyms: Noun
Antonyms: Adjective
Antonyms: Noun
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Examples of national in a Sentence
Adjective
She won the national championship last year. His test scores were higher than the national average. Doing well in the Olympics is a matter of national pride. Baseball is called America's national pastime. The game was shown on national television. Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. the National Museum of ArtNoun
She's a Mexican national now working in the United States. The U.S. Nationals will be held in New York City this year.
Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
But Americans can't easily buy its devices because the U.S. House of Representatives and the FBI are concerned that Huawei is a threat to national security. — Aimee Picchi, CBS News, "Huawei claims U.S. threatened employees and attacked its network," 3 Sep. 2019 There were name-brand matchups — Bearcats-UCLA, Tigers-Ole Miss, Houston-Oklahoma among them — and ABC/ESPN broadcasts provided a national stage. — Fletcher Page, Cincinnati.com, "Commissioner Mike Aresco addresses AAC football's future after UConn's exit," 3 Sep. 2019 The environmentalist Green party stands the strongest chance of partnering with the Union, an option polls suggest would also be most likely at the national level if there were a general election. — Washington Post, "Germany: Merkel’s party rules out working with far right," 2 Sep. 2019 Click on the links below for a look at the preseason Top 15 poll, players to watch and key numbers for the field hockey season, plus a feature on teams preparing for a national-level tournament. — Rich Scherr, baltimoresun.com, "2019 Baltimore-area high school field hockey preview: Top 15 poll, players to watch, key numbers," 30 Aug. 2019 On a national level, Florida sits at the lower end of the child care cost spectrum with infant care costing an average $9,238 a year, or $770 a month, according to the Economic Policy Institute. — Anna Bahney, CNN, "When child care costs more than a mortgage," 29 Aug. 2019 The more complex one is that Israel, Arab states and the U.S. have found increasing common priorities of national security and strong authority. — David Mednicoff, The Conversation, "Why increasing Arab-Israeli closeness matters," 29 Aug. 2019 Japan decided in early August to remove South Korea from a list of preferred trading partners on national-security grounds, citing concerns that components might end up in North Korea. — The Economist, "An old grudge between Japan and South Korea is getting out of hand," 29 Aug. 2019 But the overall efficiency and purpose of these VIPR teams is questionable, said Patrick Eddington, a DHS and national security expert with the libertarian Cato Institute. — Obed Manuel, Dallas News, "What are Homeland Security agents doing on DART trains and platforms?," 28 Aug. 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Iraq has yet to repatriate tens of thousands of its citizens, and other governments are evacuating their nationals at a trickle. — Souad Mekhennet, Washington Post, "At a sprawling tent camp in Syria, ISIS women impose a brutal rule," 3 Sep. 2019 Most arrested were Nigerian nationals who allegedly preyed primarily on elderly victims, with low tech offers to send money. — Jamie Yuccas, CBS News, "80 indicted in online fraud scheme that stole millions," 22 Aug. 2019 That changed in 2017 when the Trump White House reached an agreement with Iraq to repatriate its nationals who were subject to deportation. — Los Angeles Times, "Iraqi Chaldeans supported Trump. Now one of their own died after being deported," 12 Aug. 2019 Most of the dead had Hispanic last names and eight were Mexican nationals. — oregonlive.com, "Will Proud Boys, antifa showdown mark a tipping point for Portland?," 10 Aug. 2019 Many of the dead had Latino last names, and eight of them were Mexican nationals. — Dallas News, "'I'm the shooter': Allen man admits Mexicans were the target in El Paso massacre," 9 Aug. 2019 The vessel was seized with a crew of 23 crew aboard, although none are British nationals. — Aya Batrawy, The Denver Post, "Iran says its seizure of British ship a ‘reciprocal’ move," 20 July 2019 Australia isn't the only country to see its nationals arrested after falling foul of the Chinese government. — Steven Jiang, CNN, "Chinese Australian writer facing possible charges after six months in China jail," 18 July 2019 The kingdom promptly banned its nationals from visiting Thailand. — The Economist, "Arab governments want to control where their citizens go on holiday," 18 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'national.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for national
national
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of national
(Entry 1 of 2)
: of or relating to an entire nation or country
: owned and controlled or operated by a national government
national
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of national (Entry 2 of 2)
formal
: a person who is a citizen of a country
: competitions in which people or teams from all areas of a country compete
See the full definition for national in the English Language Learners Dictionary