intramural

adjective

in·​tra·​mu·​ral ˌin-trə-ˈmyu̇r-əl 

-(ˌ)trä-

1

a

: competed only within the student body

intramural sports

b

: being or occurring within the limits usually of a community, organization, or institution

intramural squabbles

2

: situated or occurring within the substance of the walls of an organ

intramurally

ˌin-trə-ˈmyu̇r-ə-lē 

-(ˌ)trä-

adverb

Did you know?

With its Latin prefix intra-, "within" (not to be confused with inter-, "between"), intramural means literally "within the walls". The word is usually used for sports played between teams made up only from students at one campus. Intramural athletics is often the most popular extracurricular activity at a college or university.

Examples of intramural in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Police in Georgia continue investigating the death of a college student whose body was found slain at the University of Georgia's popular intramural fields. —Wayne Ford, USA TODAY, 24 Feb. 2024

But Tuesday’s congressional primaries are mostly intramural party affairs. —Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1846, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Kids Definition

intramural

adjective

in·​tra·​mu·​ral ˌin-trə-ˈmyu̇r-əl 

ˌin-(ˌ)trä-

: being, occurring, or undertaken within the limits usually of a school

intramural sports

Medical Definition

intramural

adjective

in·​tra·​mu·​ral -ˈmyu̇r-əl 

: situated or occurring within the substance of the walls of an organ

intramural infarction

failure of or delay in intramural myocardial conduction

—American Journal of Cardiology

intramurally

-ə-lē 

adverb