extramural
adjective
ex·tra·mu·ral
ˌek-strə-ˈmyu̇r-əl 
1
: existing or functioning outside or beyond the walls, boundaries, or precincts of an organized unit (such as a school or hospital)
2
chiefly British
: of, relating to, or taking part in extension courses or facilities
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Extramural contains the Latin extra-, meaning "outside" or "beyond". The walls in extramural are usually those of schools, colleges, and universities, and the word is often seen in phrases like "extramural activities" and "extramural competition", referring to things that involve the world beyond the campus. Some institutions use the term "extramural study" for what others call "distance learning"—that is, teaching and learning by means of Web connections to the classroom and to videos of lectures. Money that flows into universities to support research (from foundations, government institutes, etc.) is usually called "extramural income".
Examples of extramural in a Sentence
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In other words, those disciplines that tend to depend more on extramural grants to support faculty research saw more sustained productivity.
—
Michael T. Nietzel, Forbes.com, 28 July 2025
Most who signed are intimately involved with evaluating and overseeing extramural research grants.
—Calvin Woodward, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2025
The internal firings are disrupting NIH’s extramural program, which oversees $39 billion a year in grants to researchers at institutions across the country.
—Byjocelyn Kaiser, science.org, 21 Feb. 2025
Just a day after Tabak’s abrupt retirement, it was reported that Michael Lauer, deputy director of the National Institutes of Health’s extramural research, will leave the agency at the end of the week.
—Joseph Choi, The Hill, 13 Feb. 2025
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Michael T. Nietzel, Forbes.com, 28 July 2025
Most who signed are intimately involved with evaluating and overseeing extramural research grants.
—Calvin Woodward, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2025
The internal firings are disrupting NIH’s extramural program, which oversees $39 billion a year in grants to researchers at institutions across the country.
—Byjocelyn Kaiser, science.org, 21 Feb. 2025
Just a day after Tabak’s abrupt retirement, it was reported that Michael Lauer, deputy director of the National Institutes of Health’s extramural research, will leave the agency at the end of the week.
—Joseph Choi, The Hill, 13 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for extramural
Cite this Entry
“Extramural.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/extramural. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
extramural
adjective
ex·tra·mu·ral
-ˈmyu̇r-əl
: existing or functioning outside or beyond the walls, boundaries, or precincts of an organized unit
extramural medical care provided by hospital personnel
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