campus

American  

[kam-puhs] / ˈkæm pəs /

noun

campuses plural

1. the grounds, often including the buildings, of a college, university, or school.

2. a college or university.

   The large influx of older students radically changed many campuses throughout the country.

3. a division of a university that has its own grounds, buildings, and faculty but is administratively joined to the rest of the university.

4. the world of higher education.

   Foundation grants have had a marked effect on the character of the American campus.

5. a large, usually suburban, landscaped business or industrial site.

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campus British  

/ ˈkæmpəs /

noun

1. the grounds and buildings of a university

2. the outside area of a college, university, etc

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• intercampus
  adjective
• noncampus
  adjective

Inflected Forms

noun

• campuses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of campus

1765–75, < Latin: flat place, field, plain

Explanation

The land and various buildings that make up a college are its campus. If you live on campus, you'll be close to your classes. When you hear the word campus, you generally think of a college or university, which include libraries and labs and classrooms and dormitories, all of which make up a campus. Other institutions, including hospitals, high schools, and some companies' office buildings, also have campuses. The word campus is Latin for "a field" or "an expanse surrounded."

Example Sentences

It has made specialized homeless care teams available to all veterans on the campus, provided case management to help veterans obtain housing subsidies and increased safety measures, the email said, but provided no further detail.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026

During a series of hearings, witnesses called as development experts pored over maps of the campus to identify several parcels to spread the housing into separate villages.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026

Even more important, our faculty told me that raising the academic bar resulted in a more vibrant classroom experience and a richer campus life.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026

The company broke ground on a $10 billion data-center campus in rural Richmond County, N.C., last month, The News & Observer reported.

From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026

She drives over to the campus gym, and I follow her inside the building and down a hallway lined with plaques that list members of the Hempstead College Athletics Hall of Fame.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

Related Words

• dorm
• square