intramural

American  

[in-truh-myoor-uhl] / ˌɪn trəˈmyʊər əl /

adjective

1. involving only students at the same school or college.

   intramural athletics.

2. within the walls, boundaries, or enclosing units, as of a city, institution, or building.

3. Anatomy. being within the substance of a wall, as of an organ.

4. involving or understood only by members of a single group, profession, etc..

   an intramural medical conference.

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intramural British  

/ ˌɪntrəˈmjʊərəl /

adjective

1. education operating within or involving those in a single establishment

2. anatomy within the walls of a cavity or hollow organ

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• intramurally
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of intramural

First recorded in 1840–50; intra- + mural

Explanation

Something that's intramural takes place within a single institution or community. Your local recreational center might offer intramural table tennis to its members. First used in the mid-19th century, the adjective intramural comes from the prefix intra, meaning "within," and the Latin word murus, meaning "walls." It describes an activity that is done within the boundaries — the walls — of an organization or community. You might be familiar with intramural sports leagues that are intended for recreation and fun. They're often offered though a school or community group and are typically open for any member to join.

Example Sentences

It’s a “three-ring circus”: the merits docket, the shadow docket, and the justices’ increasingly public intramural snipings and gripes.

From Slate • May 30, 2026

Bior studied computer science at the North Carolina campus during his freshman year and was a winger on an intramural soccer team.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

I think because the case has twisted on forever and now seems tangled in intramural process matters, it’s hard to comprehend the enormity of what’s at stake here.

From Slate • Sep. 2, 2025

The University of Alabama, Aldridge said, now has three robots, two for athletics and one for intramural fields.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 5, 2025

Friends from Smith remember Luma as outgoing and involved, active in intramural soccer and in social events sponsored by the college’s house system.

From "Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference" by Warren St. John

Related Words

• constitutional
• domestic
• in-house
• national
• private
• subjective