na·tion·al
ˈna-sh(ə-)nəl 
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 audible—
Elinor Wylie
Elinor Wylie4
: 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
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
Synonyms
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 WebSimone McCarthy, CNN, 11 Apr. 2024
The Trojans may also be without any incoming freshmen as all three of the program’s high school signees asked out of the national letters of intent and opened up their recruitment after the coaching change.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
Due to larger conforming loan sizes than the rest of the country, California mortgage rates tend to be cheaper than Freddie’s national survey numbers.
—Jeff Lazerson, Orange County Register, 11 Apr. 2024
The winner of that game will face either Boston University or Denver in Saturday’s national title game.
—Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024
And within a decade, a national movement to restrict it gained momentum.
—Melissa Chan, NBC News, 11 Apr. 2024
Nearly half the population lives under the national poverty line of 76 cents a day.
—Rebecca Tan, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024
By 1914, President Woodrow Wilson designated it a national holiday.
—Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 11 Apr. 2024
Nationally, the suicide rate for Native American teens is 3.5 times higher than the national average, according to the Center for Native American Youth.
—Journal Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2024
Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 12 Apr. 2024
Other than the preferential visas, sanctions on Russian air carriers and reciprocal bans on Western airlines have slashed the destinations where Russian nationals can escape their frigid winter, making already-popular Thailand an easier choice.
—TIME, 11 Apr. 2024
The administration has worked with allies in the region to receive nationals from hostile countries deported from the United States.
—Michael Wilner, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2024
Those killed include a dual US-Canada national, as well as people from Australia, Poland, three from the UK, and a Palestinian, the aid group said.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN, 3 Apr. 2024
The Hungarian national also faces potential deportation.
—Michael Loria, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024
The rest were Westerners, including a dual national of the United States and Canada.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2024
In the fiscal year for 2023, the agency approved nearly 121,000 TPS applications for Haitian nationals.
—Syra Ortiz Blanes The Miami Herald (tns), arkansasonline.com, 28 Mar. 2024
More than 156,000 Haitians have entered the U.S. as part of a humanitarian parole program launched by the Biden administration in January 2023 for nationals of Haiti, Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 31 Mar. 2024
Adjective
Zhao leads China’s rubber-stamp national legislature and is a member of its powerful seven-man Politburo Standing Committee.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN, 11 Apr. 2024
The Trojans may also be without any incoming freshmen as all three of the program’s high school signees asked out of the national letters of intent and opened up their recruitment after the coaching change.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
Due to larger conforming loan sizes than the rest of the country, California mortgage rates tend to be cheaper than Freddie’s national survey numbers.
—Jeff Lazerson, Orange County Register, 11 Apr. 2024
The winner of that game will face either Boston University or Denver in Saturday’s national title game.
—Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024
And within a decade, a national movement to restrict it gained momentum.
—Melissa Chan, NBC News, 11 Apr. 2024
Nearly half the population lives under the national poverty line of 76 cents a day.
—Rebecca Tan, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024
By 1914, President Woodrow Wilson designated it a national holiday.
—Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 11 Apr. 2024
Nationally, the suicide rate for Native American teens is 3.5 times higher than the national average, according to the Center for Native American Youth.
—Journal Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2024
Noun
In 2021, the U.S. Congress passed the Masih Alinejad HUNT Act, imposing sanctions on foreign nationals who harass human-rights activists on behalf of Iran’s government.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 12 Apr. 2024
Other than the preferential visas, sanctions on Russian air carriers and reciprocal bans on Western airlines have slashed the destinations where Russian nationals can escape their frigid winter, making already-popular Thailand an easier choice.
—TIME, 11 Apr. 2024
The administration has worked with allies in the region to receive nationals from hostile countries deported from the United States.
—Michael Wilner, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2024
Those killed include a dual US-Canada national, as well as people from Australia, Poland, three from the UK, and a Palestinian, the aid group said.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN, 3 Apr. 2024
The Hungarian national also faces potential deportation.
—Michael Loria, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024
The rest were Westerners, including a dual national of the United States and Canada.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2024
In the fiscal year for 2023, the agency approved nearly 121,000 TPS applications for Haitian nationals.
—Syra Ortiz Blanes The Miami Herald (tns), arkansasonline.com, 28 Mar. 2024
More than 156,000 Haitians have entered the U.S. as part of a humanitarian parole program launched by the Biden administration in January 2023 for nationals of Haiti, Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 31 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'national.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near national
Cite this Entry
“National.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/national. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
national
1 of 2 adjective
na·tion·al
ˈnash-nəl
-ən-ᵊl
1
: of or relating to a nation
national elections
2
: belonging to or maintained by the federal government
national cemeteries
nationally
adverb
-ē
national
2 of 2 noun1
: 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
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