What does "intermural" mean?
A (usually sport) competition between teams from separate organizations.
Intermural
/ˌɪntɚˈmjuːɹəl/ adj, noun
adj, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A (usually sport) competition between teams from separate organizations.
- Grammar: intermural is listed as adj, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: intercollegiate, interinstitutional.
- Useful contrasts: intramural.
- Usage evidence: Turn from this picture to a vault or intermural yard, to the black mould, the coarse , rank, poisonous grass and nettles, the decayed monuments, and the dark shadows of the dismal walls, where the sunshine never sleeps, but where death and gloom ever dwell together.
How to use "intermural"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "intermural" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "intermural" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "intermural" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "intermural" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "intermural" is acting as adj, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "intercollegiate" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "intermural", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A (usually sport) competition between teams from separate organizations.
"The fellows worked hard in the Intermurals under Joe Jackson's leadership, but the loss of some good men at the wrong time hurt. The Club ended the year in third place."
- 2 A competition between teams from within the same organization.
"Theoretically each team is supposed to fight as hard as possible for its side in the congressional intermurals ."
- 3 An intermural yard; a walled garden.
"The back wall of the workshop was taken up by a glass door, and behind it lay a small stone-paved garden, one of the tiny and fortuitous intermurals whose charm is London's secret."
Adjective
- 1 Between walls; enclosed by walls. not-comparable
"Turn from this picture to a vault or intermural yard, to the black mould, the coarse , rank, poisonous grass and nettles, the decayed monuments, and the dark shadows of the dismal walls, where the sunshine never sleeps, but where death and gloom ever dwell together."
- 2 Occurring within the walls or boundaries of an organ or other biological structure. not-comparable
"In Favosites and allied genera, the maximum size of the corallites is soon reached, and the expansion of the coral is mainly derived from intermural growth."
- 3 Local to an exhibit or exhibition. not-comparable
"Mr. W. E. Baker, the electrical egineer who designed, built, and operated the intermural road, replied "that the power stations should be so placed that the current of electricity would be transmitted five miles only, the loss being proportional to the distance – thus there would be two power houses, five miles from the ends of the route, transmitting currents two ways; that the intermural motor cars had four parallel axles to each, of which 150 h.p. was attached, or 600 h.p. in all – the cost of these motor cars each was $10,000 for the electrical application – and that the same power would be required for the proposed trains."
- 4 In house; internal to an organization. not-comparable
"During the past 5 or 6 years, on the other hand, intermural research has tended to produce more publishable information."
- 5 Involving competition between institutions, especially sports competitions. not-comparable
"All recreational agencies must decide whether their own controlled program of activities shall be conducted on an intermural or intramural basis."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 Originating as street art but being curated and displayed in a gallery or museum. not-comparable
"Balakian continues the theological metaphor in defining the artwork itself as "sacred," "a system of symbolization of which the correspondences are strictly intramural or self-referential to start and become intermural only when other artists accept the signal-making character of the work.""
Adjective
- 1 between two or more institutions etc wordnet
Antonyms
Example
"Turn from this picture to a vault or intermural yard, to the black mould, the coarse , rank, poisonous grass and nettles, the decayed monuments, and the dark shadows of the dismal walls, where the sunshine never sleeps, but where death and gloom ever dwell together."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "intermural"?
Common synonyms include: intercollegiate, interinstitutional.
How do you use "intermural" in a sentence?
Turn from this picture to a vault or intermural yard, to the black mould, the coarse , rank, poisonous grass and nettles, the decayed monuments, and the dark shadows of the dismal walls, where the sunshine never sleeps, but where death and gloom ever dwell together.
How do you pronounce "intermural"?
Pronounced /ˌɪntɚˈmjuːɹəl/.
Etymology
From Latin intermūrālis. By surface analysis, inter- + mural.