English Reference

Word

mural

Phoneticsmu·ral

US/ˈmjʊɹəɫ/

UK/mjˈʊɹəl/

Definitions

01wall painting

B2

n. a large picture painted directly onto a wall or ceiling.

n. a large-scale artwork executed directly on a wall, ceiling, or other permanent surface.

“The city hired an artist to paint a colourful mural on the side of the library.”

“The community mural depicted the neighbourhood's history, spanning three decades of social change across the entire brick facade of the community centre.”

Synonyms

frescowall painting

02relating to a wall

C1

adj. describing something that is on, in, or against a wall.

adj. pertaining to, attached to, or situated on a wall; often used in technical or anatomical contexts.

“The museum displayed a mural crown that was once worn by ancient leaders.”

“The surgeon noted a mural thrombus, which is a blood cloth attached to the wall of a blood vessel or the heart.”

Technical

Usage

Usually placed before the noun it modifies.

Synonyms

03to paint a wall

C2

v. to paint a large picture on a wall.

v. to decorate a surface with a mural; to apply large-scale artwork to a wall.

“They decided to mural the entire hallway with scenes from the forest.”

“The collective spent the weekend muralling the abandoned warehouse, transforming the grey concrete into a vibrant gallery of street art.”

Informal

Synonyms

Real-World Examples

“The street artist Helch, known for murals and tags across England, has died, his gallery has said.”
The Guardian · 1 Sept 2026

Etymology

Borrowed from French mural, from Latin muralis, from murus (“wall”).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry

Level
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Frequent
Updated

Scan code

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English Reference