intercede
Americanverb (used without object)
-
to act or interpose in behalf of someone in difficulty or trouble, as by pleading or petition.
to intercede with the governor for a condemned man.
- Synonyms:
- intervene
-
to attempt to reconcile differences between two people or groups; mediate.
- Synonyms:
- intervene
-
Roman History. (of a tribune or other magistrate) to interpose a veto.
verb
-
(often foll by in) to come between parties or act as mediator or advocate
to intercede in the strike
-
Roman history (of a tribune or other magistrate) to interpose a veto
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
intercedesimple
-
intercedessimple
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have intercededperfect
-
has intercededperfect
-
am intercedingprogressive
-
are intercedingprogressive
-
is intercedingprogressive
-
have been intercedingperfect progressive
-
has been intercedingperfect progressive
Past
-
intercededsimple
-
had intercededperfect
-
was intercedingprogressive
-
were intercedingprogressive
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had been intercedingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of intercede
From the Latin word intercēdere, dating back to 1570–80. See inter-, cede
Explanation
When you intercede, you try to help people work out their differences or achieve something, like when you intercede on your friend's behalf to encourage your boss to hire him, or when feuding friends ask you to intercede, guiding them to sort out their differences. The verb intercede comes from the Latin root words inter, meaning "between," and cedere, meaning "go." Acting as a go-between is exactly what you do when you intercede. Maybe you are the peacemaker, or you play matchmaker, or you just bring people to work out their problems. Sometimes people pray that God will intercede in their lives, meaning bring change that improves a situation.
Vocabulary lists containing intercede
Power Prefix: inter-
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A Christmas Carol
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"The Metamorphosis," Vocabulary from the novella
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
That is setting up a debate over when military forces should use AI, when humans should intercede and who should decide where to draw the lines.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
This is now the third time in a matter of weeks this Court has had to intercede in a case squarely controlled by one of its precedents.
From Slate ● Jan. 3, 2026
When special envoy Keith Kellogg travelled to Minsk to intercede for American citizens in prison, he emerged with Sergei, too.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2025
As real-life danger threatens the brave young heroes, supernatural forces will intercede in their defense.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 20, 2025
About the brave women who tried to intercede.
From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed
The new mission of the Slatest is to explain the biggest story of the day, but sometimes the story of the year intercedes.
From Slate ● Jun. 16, 2026
"Where this work intercedes is thinking about how to inject something beforehand that would help boost or enhance the amount of signal that is available to collect in the same small sample."
From Science Daily ● Jan. 18, 2024
"The longer that talks go on, the greater the chance that the conflict intercedes," said Henry Rome, Iran analyst at consultancy Eurasia.
From Reuters ● Mar. 1, 2022
Fortunately, the magical wizard Gandalf intercedes and rescues Théoden from his virtual captivity.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 24, 2021
I hear my name and see Ayesha waving at me before her mother intercedes and makes her drop her hands to her sides.
From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed
Instead, the governor interceded and essentially cut Peters’ sentence in half.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2026
Navarro continued keeping Farrell at arm's length until others interceded and shuffled him away.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2024
Supporters rushed him and several screamed at him before Doral police interceded and moved him down the street.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 12, 2023
He said a number of other employees had complained about Bing, and he believes Walmart should have interceded more forcefully.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 4, 2022
In his sophomore year, though, his evangelical a cappella singing group, a Christian twist on an old Ivy League tradition, interceded.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
Dodie Osteen said interceding for those in need is a fulfilling ministry.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 19, 2023
The cornerstone of the college’s mental health initiative is interceding and introducing students to services early as well as approaching students directly instead of hoping they reach out themselves.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 29, 2022
One recruiting pipeline has consistently filled some of our hardest and most important jobs during the interceding generations: new military members mostly come from military families.
From Salon ● Nov. 11, 2021
In that event, Verrastro foresees an international coalition, including China and Japan, interceding in the Persian Gulf region to secure the vast amounts of petroleum and natural gas that are vital to their survival.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 14, 2019
Aged about twelve, she may have protected Smith, but not, as he wrote, by interceding when he was a captive and about to be executed in 1607.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
