intercollegiate

adjective

in·​ter·​col·​le·​giate ˌin-tər-kə-ˈlē-jət How to pronounce intercollegiate (audio)
-jē-ət
: existing, carried on, or participating in activities between colleges
intercollegiate athletics

Examples of intercollegiate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In 1869, the very first intercollegiate football game was played between Rutgers and Princeton. — Jaclyn Diaz, NPR, 28 Jan. 2026 The College of Western Idaho moved a step closer this week to adding intercollegiate athletics and intramural sports to its offerings. — Rachel Roberts, Idaho Statesman, 28 May 2026 This balance of intercollegiate, club and intramural sports opportunities represents the current state of the physical training roots of the Greek educational model. — Dr. J. Lee Peters, Hartford Courant, 8 June 2026 Supporters of the bill have described it as the most meaningful advancement in Congress’ six-year effort to legislate intercollegiate athletics, which has produced more than 40 different pieces of legislation, none of which have reached a floor vote. — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 3 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for intercollegiate

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1874, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of intercollegiate was circa 1874

Rhymes for intercollegiate

See All Rhymes for intercollegiate

Browse Nearby Words

intercollege
intercollegiate
intercolline
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Intercollegiate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intercollegiate. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

intercollegiate

adjective
in·​ter·​col·​le·​giate ˌint-ər-kə-ˈlē-j(ē-)ət How to pronounce intercollegiate (audio)
: existing or carried on between colleges
intercollegiate sports

More from Merriam-Webster on intercollegiate

Nglish: Translation of intercollegiate for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All