national

1 of 2

adjective

na·​tion·​al ˈna-sh(ə-)nəl How to pronounce national (audio)
1
: of or relating to a nation
national boundaries
the national flag
2
3
: comprising or characteristic of a nationality
his national accent was plainly audibleElinor 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
nationally adverb

national

2 of 2

noun

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
Choose the Right Synonym for national

citizen, subject, national mean a person owing allegiance to and entitled to the protection of a sovereign state.

citizen is preferred for one owing allegiance to a state in which sovereign power is retained by the people and sharing in the political rights of those people.

the rights of a free citizen

subject implies allegiance to a personal sovereign such as a monarch.

the king's subjects

national designates one who may claim the protection of a state and applies especially to one living or traveling outside that state.

American nationals working in the Middle East

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 Art Noun 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
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Adjective
The state superintendent race usually doesn't garner much attention, but Morrow's controversies have drawn national eyeballs. Alexandria Sands, Axios, 26 Oct. 2024 The researchers who undertook the study assessed a national inpatient database for patients undergoing bypass surgery in the US between 2016 and 2021. New Atlas, 25 Oct. 2024
Noun
Three of the 18 journalists staying at the guesthouse, including an Egyptian national, were injured. Sarah El Deeb and Zeina Karam, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2024 Born in Belgium, Still is an English national who has already shown great promise in France’s top tier with Stade de Reims. Henry Flynn, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for national 

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1580, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1845, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of national was in 1580

Dictionary Entries Near national

Cite this Entry

“National.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/national. Accessed 7 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

national

1 of 2 adjective
na·​tion·​al ˈnash-nəl How to pronounce national (audio)
-ən-ᵊl
1
: of or relating to a nation
national elections
2
: belonging to or maintained by the federal government
national cemeteries
nationally
adverb

national

2 of 2 noun
1
: a person who owes allegiance to or is under the protection of a nation
2
: a competition that is national in scope
usually used in plural
qualified for the figure skating nationals

More from Merriam-Webster on national

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!