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

Riley was killed while on a jog at the university’s intramural fields, and her body was later found behind a nearby lake. —Kaitlyn Schwanemann, CNN, 2 Mar. 2024

The couple met when playing intramural volleyball. Passport: Explore the finest destinations and experiences around the world in the Forbes Passport newsletter. —Gary Stoller, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024

The intramural field trails where Riley was attacked are a popular spot for running, jogging or just taking a stroll with friends, UGA student Chaston Atkins told CNN. —Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN, 27 Feb. 2024

What Johnson doesn’t mention is that these jobs can be taxing, involve low pay, require working hours way past 9 p.m. on a weekday, and bear dangerous conditions not even close to said intramural sports. —Chloe Berger, Fortune, 15 Feb. 2024

Bennett Kotok, the 2023 St. Thomas Academy grad who was captain of the championship baseball team and an all-conference linebacker in football, plus top-five in his pre-med class at Creighton, died unexpectedly last week playing intramural basketball at Creighton. —Charley Walters, Twin Cities, 27 Jan. 2024

Jones noted all intramural sports fields at the University of Arkansas and Auburn University sport GeoSurfaces' turf. —Laurinda Joenks, Arkansas Online, 7 Sep. 2023

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