intermediary

American  

[in-ter-mee-dee-er-ee] / ˌɪn tərˈmi diˌɛr i /

noun

• intermediaries
  plural

1. an intermediate agent or agency; a go-between or mediator.

   Synonyms:

   umpire, arbitrator

2. a medium or means.

3. an intermediate form or stage.

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adjective

1. being between; intermediate.

2. acting between persons, parties, etc.; serving as an intermediate agent or agency.

   an intermediary power.

intermediary British  

/ ˌɪntəˈmiːdɪərɪ /

noun

1. a person who acts as a mediator or agent between parties

2. something that acts as a medium or means

3. an intermediate state or period

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adjective

1. acting as an intermediary

2. situated, acting, or coming between; intermediate

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• intermediaries
  plural

Etymology

Origin of intermediary

1785–95; < Late Latin intermedi ( um ) intervening place + -ary; see intermediate ¹

Explanation

An intermediary is someone who acts as a go-between or a mediator between two other people. Be careful when you're the intermediary between two friends who are fighting, because they might both end up mad at you! The word intermediary comes from the Latin intermedius, which is also the root word for intermediate. Inter- means between, and medius means the middle — intermediary retains that sense of being in the middle. Intermediaries are used to negotiate between two countries who are at odds, between a company and a client over a contract, between two bickering children, or between a boss and an employee in salary negotiations.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

intermediary intermediaries

“The next morning, Regan, through an intermediary, offered the same ‘deal.’

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

It is understood the potential deal for the former Norwich winger was initially raised by an intermediary close to a senior member of the coaching staff during the close season.

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026

RNA acts as an intermediary between the genetic code stored in DNA and the proteins that perform most of a cell's work.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 31, 2026

It is an exchange, a neutral intermediary that never takes a side.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026

The other men desired me, therefore, to write to Major Byrd as an intermediary and ask that he rectify this galling practice.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson

Israel has been providing Saudi Arabia with intelligence to help thwart further attacks, using American military intermediaries, according to Israeli media reports.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026

Through intermediaries, a possible exit for Myles Lewis-Skelly was explored, with a fee of about £80m believed to have been mooted for the midfielder.

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026

Caballero, who once chaired MIT’s economics department, argues that rising debt is challenging the ability of the intermediaries to supply the balance-sheet space, market making, and rollover capacity needed to warehouse them.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026

However, investigations by the Treasury Department found that virtually all of the American and European parts were being diverted through Chinese intermediaries.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

The os in his calculations were only intermediaries, crutches that vanished miraculously by the end of the computation.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

Related Words

• broker
• emissary
• go-between
• mediator
• negotiator