mediate

American  

[mee-dee-ayt, mee-dee-it] / ˈmi diˌeɪt, ˈmi di ɪt /

verb (used with object)

• mediates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• mediated,
  past participle,  past
• mediating
  present participle

1. to settle (disputes, strikes, etc.) as an intermediary between parties; reconcile.

   Synonyms:

   arbitrate

2. to bring about (an agreement, accord, truce, peace, etc.) as an intermediary between parties by compromise, reconciliation, removal of misunderstanding, etc.

   Synonyms:

   arbitrate

3. to effect (a result) or convey (a message, gift, etc.) by or as if by an intermediary.

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verb (used without object)

• mediates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• mediated,
  past participle,  past
• mediating
  present participle

1. to act between parties to effect an agreement, compromise, reconciliation, etc.

   Synonyms:

   intervene, intercede

2. to occupy an intermediate place or position.

adjective

1. acting through, dependent on, or involving an intermediate agency; not direct or immediate.

mediate British  

verb

1. (intr; usually foll by between or in) to intervene (between parties or in a dispute) in order to bring about agreement

2. to bring about (an agreement)

3. to bring about (an agreement) between parties in a dispute

4. to resolve (differences) by mediation

5. (intr) to be in a middle or intermediate position

6. (tr) to serve as a medium for causing (a result) or transferring (objects, information, etc)

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adjective

1. occurring as a result of or dependent upon mediation

2. a rare word for intermediate

3. logic (of an inference) having more than one premise, esp, being syllogistic in form

mediate Scientific  

/ mē′dē-āt′ /

1. To effect or convey a force between subatomic particles. The gauge bosons, for example, mediate the four fundamental forces of nature.

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Usage

What does mediate mean? Mediate means to help to settle a dispute or create agreement when there is conflict between two or more people or groups by acting as an intermediary or go-between for those parties. A person who acts as an intermediary or go-between in this way can be called a mediator. The act or process of mediating is called mediation. Mediation always involves a mediator acting as an impartial third party to guide the communication between the conflicting parties. Sometimes, mediation happens in an informal way. You might help two friends by mediating their argument. But the word is perhaps most commonly used in more specific ways in formal situations, such as when a mediator mediates a labor dispute between a company and its striking employees or when a mediator mediates a divorce for two spouses. When mediation occurs in an official or legal context, such as when it has been ordered by a judge, it is often called arbitration. Arbitration usually involves a decision that the parties are bound by. Mediation is typically less formal and usually involves suggestions for settling differences, as opposed to binding decisions. Example: I know you two have your differences, so I’d like to mediate a meeting to see if you can come to an understanding.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• mediateness
  noun
• mediator
  noun
• mediative
  adjective
• self-mediating
  adjective
• unmediating
  adjective
• mediately
  adverb
• mediatorially
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• mediating
  present
• mediated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• mediate
  simple
• mediates
  simple
• have mediated
  perfect
• has mediated
  perfect
• am mediating
  progressive
• are mediating
  progressive
• is mediating
  progressive
• have been mediating
  perfect progressive
• has been mediating
  perfect progressive

Past

• mediated
  simple
• had mediated
  perfect
• was mediating
  progressive
• were mediating
  progressive
• had been mediating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will mediate
  simple
• will have mediated
  perfect
• will be mediating
  progressive
• will have been mediating
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of mediate

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Late Latin mediātus, past participle of mediāre “to be in the middle, intercede”; see medium, -ate ¹

Explanation

If your two best friends aren't speaking to each other, you might find yourself trying to mediate a peace accord between them. To mediate is to go from one to another and try to make peace. Mediate derives from the Latin medius "middle," and people who mediate are in the middle, between the parties. Other things that are in the middle can be said to mediate as well. Your mind can mediate between your two conflicting personalities.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mediate mediates mediated mediating

It called for the governor’s Office of Tribal Affairs to mediate any disputes between tribes and state water agencies.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Two years to the day of my arrest, I was in Qatar, talking to officials involved in helping mediate my release while dining on stuffed pigeons.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

She said that "you can't mediate with someone who asks you to go into a meeting with preconditions".

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

Pakistan has sought to mediate efforts to end the US-Iran war, while Turkey has played a diplomatic role in negotiations aimed at ending the war in Gaza.

From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026

This NAfME post addresses both issues and gives guidance to mediate its effects in the classroom.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

The hope is to become a "big fish" who mediates between the grunts and those with cash, maybe even entering polite society.

From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026

The Geneva-based body that mediates trade disputes Friday said its Trade Barometer fell to 101.7 in June from 102.3 in January.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026

One way to escape this game of chicken is when a third party mediates, offering both sides an off-ramp.

From BBC ● May 1, 2025

As journalist Franklin Foer elaborates in his acclaimed book on Biden’s presidency, The Last Politician, politics for Biden is the “means by which a society mediates its difference of opinion, allowing for peaceful coexistence.”

From Salon ● Feb. 18, 2024

He mediates grace to us, and through faith in Christ we are linked to God as the “God of all grace.”

From The Prayers of St. Paul by W. H. Griffith (William Henry Griffith) Thomas

Diplomatic efforts mediated by the United States to end the war more than four years since Russia's invasion of Ukraine have so far yielded no results.

From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2026

During the fourth decade of warming, they observed that stable portions of soil organic matter, once believed to resist warming mediated decomposition, also began to break down.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026

Recognizing that the more our lives are mediated with digital tools the harder it becomes to live without them has catalyzed less explicitly political pushes for offline attention as well.

From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026

In his excellent 2022 collection, “Reward System,” Jem Calder explored the trials of digitally mediated romance.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

The Catholic Church of my youth mediated with special grace between the public and private realms of my life, such was the extent of its faith in itself.

From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez

But officials in mediating countries said they were incensed by Tehran’s rejection of the Oman plan.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

Officials in mediating countries said Iran’s rejection incensed them.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

Trump told the US news outlet Axios that mediating countries had asked him to hold fire to give diplomacy a chance, adding: "We are in very deep talks with Iran."

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

Announcing the breakthrough on Sunday, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose nation had been mediating, said it included "the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon".

From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026

Hence there must be other mediating proximate mechanisms as well.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Related Words

• arbitrate
• intercede
• interfere
• intervene
• negotiate
• resolve