Xternal conflict is best defined as:

External conflict is outside influences such as two people in a fight or argument or man vs animal.

An external conflict is a struggle between the main character and some outside force. It occurs when the protagonist struggles against the antagonist, a character or group of characters that is in opposition to the main character, that is to say the protagonist. There are other types of external conflict such as forces of nature and also the society where the main character lives