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.

---

campus British  

/ ˈkæmpəs /

noun

1. the grounds and buildings of a university

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

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• intercampus
  adjective
• noncampus
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• 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

See Examples For:

campus campuses

Giuffra added: "We are hopeful that this will be yet another step forward to educate and support the Cornell community by addressing the longstanding scourge of sexual assault on campus."

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026

PUF contributed $66 million for a new building on its Fort Worth campus that features classrooms and lab space for its healthcare and teacher education programs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

At the University of Lille in the north, around 40 students used bicycles and trash bins to block the campus, leading to the cancellation of classes.

From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2026

And to think Pete Carroll was on campus last spring, and available for leadership mentoring.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026

Green was one of the oldest professors on campus, with gray hair that bushed out above his ears like the cheeks of a chipmunk.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

Fraternities -- male social clubs common on US campuses -- are particularly scrutinized.

From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026

It can be a jarring shift for students, because college communications before the commitment deadline include glossy magazines with nice photos of campuses.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

Raman showed up at bars and nightclubs and on college campuses, spreading her call for change at City Hall.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026

Student union L'Union Etudiante said one university in two was affected Tuesday and that over 50 campuses had been blockaded.

From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2026

Ludus had hundreds of large forests scattered all over its surface, in the vast sections of empty land that stood between the thousands of school campuses.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• dorm
• square

---