Meaning & use
intrastate
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Meaning
adjectivebefore a noun
Existing or happening completely within one state, without crossing its borders.
Grammar: Used before a noun: intrastate trade, intrastate travel. Contrast with interstate, which crosses state lines.
Patterns
- intrastate commerce
- intrastate travel
- intrastate conflict
The new law applies only to intrastate shipping, so packages leaving the state are not affected.
Intrastate rivalries between cities can be just as fierce as competition across state lines.
The governor focused on intrastate infrastructure, leaving interstate highways to federal funding.
Common combinations
- intrastate commerce
- The court ruled that intrastate commerce is regulated by the state, not the federal government.
- intrastate travel
- During the pandemic, intrastate travel was allowed but crossing state borders required quarantine.
- intrastate conflict
- The country suffered from intrastate conflict between rival regions.
- intrastate rivalry
- The intrastate rivalry between the two universities draws huge crowds.
Synonyms and how they differ
- internal
- Broader; can refer to anything inside an organization or country, not specifically within a state.
- domestic
- Usually refers to a whole country, not a single state within a country.
Opposites
Word family
- interstate adjective
- Between or across states.
- state noun
- A political region within a country.
Commonly confused: intrastate or interstate?
intrastate vs interstate
Interstate means between states (e.g., interstate highway), while intrastate means within one state.
Practice
The new tax applies only to ___ sales, so businesses selling across state lines are exempt.
Choose one answer.
The sentence contrasts with 'selling across state lines', so the tax applies within one state: intrastate. 'Interstate' would mean the opposite, and 'international' and 'internal' do not fit the context of state borders.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “intrastate”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.