Meaning of external In English

• 0 of, on, for, or coming from the outside:

  • the external walls of the house

  • Female kangaroos carry their young in pouches that are external to their bodies.

  • This cream is for external use only (= it must not be put inside the body).

  • In later years, his paintings began to show a number of external influences (= influences coming from other people).

  • Most news magazines have a section devoted to external affairs (= foreign news).

  • You shouldn't judge people by their external appearances (= what they appear to be like).

• 1 existing, intended for, or happening outside a person, organization, place, country, etc.:

  • This skin cream is for external use only.

  • She handles the company’s external relations.

  • His paintings show external influences (= influences coming from other people).

• 2 coming from outside a company, organization, or country:

  • an external applicant/candidate

  • external developments/events/forces A number of external developments help to explain why the country's economy under-performed compared to others.

  • External demand for the products of industrial countries may decline in the longer term.

• 3 used to describe equipment that connects to the outside of a computer:

  • Use an external hard drive to back up your entire system.