I. mul ‧ ti ‧ na ‧ tion ‧ al 1 /ˌmʌltɪˈnæʃ ə nəl◂/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ nation , ↑ national , ↑ multinational , ↑ nationalism , ↑ nationalist , ↑ nationality , ↑ nationalization , ↑ nationhood , ↑ international , ↑ internationalism , ↑ internationalist , ↑ internationalization ; adjective : ↑ national , ↑ international , ↑ multinational , ↑ nationalist , ↑ nationalistic , nationalized, ↑ internationalist ; verb : ↑ nationalize , ↑ internationalize ; adverb : ↑ nationally , ↑ internationally ]
1 . a multinational company has factories, offices, and business activities in many different countries:
a multinational media corporation
2 . involving people from several countries:
the UN’s multinational peace-keeping force
II. multinational 2 BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ nation , ↑ national , ↑ multinational , ↑ nationalism , ↑ nationalist , ↑ nationality , ↑ nationalization , ↑ nationhood , ↑ international , ↑ internationalism , ↑ internationalist , ↑ internationalization ; adjective : ↑ national , ↑ international , ↑ multinational , ↑ nationalist , ↑ nationalistic , nationalized, ↑ internationalist ; verb : ↑ nationalize , ↑ internationalize ; adverb : ↑ nationally , ↑ internationally ]
a large company that has offices, factories etc in many different countries:
Multinationals have made large investments in Thailand.
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THESAURUS
▪ company an organization that makes or sells something, or provides a service:
big oil companies
|
telephone companies
|
He runs a software company.
▪ firm a company, especially one that provides a service rather than producing goods:
a law firm
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a firm of accountants
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a security firm
▪ business a company – often used when talking about a company that employs only a small number of people:
She set up her own catering business.
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small businesses
|
a family business
▪ corporation a large company that often includes several smaller companies:
IBM is one of the biggest corporations in the world.
▪ multinational a very large company with offices in many different countries:
American multinationals are establishing research and development facilities across the developing world.
▪ conglomerate /kənˈɡlɒmərət, kənˈɡlɒmərɪt $ -ˈɡlɑː-/ a very large company that consists of several different companies which have joined together:
The company was taken over by a German media conglomerate.
▪ giant a word used mainly by newspapers for a very large company:
Their clients include the retail giant, Wal-Mart.
▪ subsidiary a company that is owned by a larger company:
The company runs its New York operations through a US subsidiary.