global

adjective

glob·​al ˈglō-bəl How to pronounce global (audio)
1
a
: of, relating to, or involving the entire world : worldwide
a global system of communication
global economic problems
global warfare
see also global village, global warming
b
: of or relating to a spherical celestial body (such as the moon)
For the Moon, the early formation of global crust was accompanied and succeeded for several hundred million years by a massive influx of projectiles …James W. Head
2
: of, relating to, or applying to a whole (such as a mathematical function or a computer program) : universal
a global search of a file
Global search and replace can be harnessed to make this correction throughout the file almost instantaneously.Shay Addams
3
of a medical condition : being particularly severe or encompassing in nature : having or exhibiting a broad or nearly complete effect
… West suffered a stroke that left him with global aphasia: an inability to produce words or to understand words spoken to him.Alison McCulloch
The two other cases presented with milder characteristics, displaying global developmental delay and seizures.The Albany (Georgia) Herald
4
: having the shape of a globe : spherical
a global mass
globally adverb

Examples of global in a Sentence

English is becoming a global language. The program allows users to do global searches through all the available data.
Recent Examples on the Web In the Academy’s view, a more international voting body helps change the global cultural conversation around film and better represent the film community. Marta Balaga, Variety, 6 Mar. 2024 Brolin can currently be seen on the big screen in Dune: Part Two, which opened to a better-than-expected $82.5 million in North America and $100 million overseas at the box office over the March 1-3 weekend, for a global start of $182.5 million. Tatiana Tenreyro, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Mar. 2024 Attracting global interest, the piece sold in two minutes for just over £1 million. Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 6 Mar. 2024 What happens among the tiny islands, reefs and atolls of this corner of the globe could have profound international repercussions and become a major global flashpoint. Rebecca Wright, CNN, 6 Mar. 2024 The release noted that the company's Betim, Brazil, facility is its global center of expertise in that arena. Eric D. Lawrence, Detroit Free Press, 6 Mar. 2024 Wall Street Journal The global gender gap is very real—and there isn’t a single country in the world that gives equal opportunity to both men and women. Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2024 The plant was sold to Aberdeen, a global investment firm, in 2019, according to the water authority. Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2024 In January, global PE investor BlackRock had marked down its valuation to $1 billion. Anu Raghunathan, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'global.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

see globe entry 1

First Known Use

1637, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of global was in 1637

Dictionary Entries Near global

Cite this Entry

“Global.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/global. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

global

adjective
glob·​al ˈglō-bəl How to pronounce global (audio)
1
2
: worldwide
global war
3
: of, relating to, or applying to the whole of something (as a computer program)
a global search through the data
globally adverb

Medical Definition

global

adjective
glob·​al ˈglō-bəl How to pronounce global (audio)
1
: having the shape of a globe
2
a
: of, relating to, or involving the entire world
global health conditions
b
: of, relating to, or involving the globe of the eye
global anesthesia in cataract surgery
3
of a medical condition : being particularly severe or encompassing in nature : having or exhibiting a broad or nearly complete effect
… West suffered a stroke that left him with global aphasia: an inability to produce words or to understand words spoken to him.Alison McCulloch
4
a
: being comprehensive, all-inclusive, or complete
global obstetric care
transient global amnesia
Akinesia was global, although rigidity and dystonia were strikingly unilateral in distribution.Oliver Sacks
b
: of, relating to, or constituting an organic whole : organismic
… the newer psychiatry seeks to understand in a global way the dynamic structure of the patient's personality …Psychological Abstracts
globally adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on global

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