mediate
Americanverb (used with object)
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to settle (disputes, strikes, etc.) as an intermediary between parties; reconcile.
- Synonyms:
- arbitrate
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to bring about (an agreement, accord, truce, peace, etc.) as an intermediary between parties by compromise, reconciliation, removal of misunderstanding, etc.
- Synonyms:
- arbitrate
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to effect (a result) or convey (a message, gift, etc.) by or as if by an intermediary.
verb (used without object)
adjective
verb
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(intr; usually foll by between or in) to intervene (between parties or in a dispute) in order to bring about agreement
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to bring about (an agreement)
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to bring about (an agreement) between parties in a dispute
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to resolve (differences) by mediation
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(intr) to be in a middle or intermediate position
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(tr) to serve as a medium for causing (a result) or transferring (objects, information, etc)
adjective
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occurring as a result of or dependent upon mediation
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a rare word for intermediate
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logic (of an inference) having more than one premise, esp, being syllogistic in form
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
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mediatenessnoun
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mediatornoun
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mediativeadjective
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self-mediatingadjective
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unmediatingadjective
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mediatelyadverb
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mediatoriallyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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mediatesimple
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mediatessimple
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have mediatedperfect
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has mediatedperfect
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am mediatingprogressive
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are mediatingprogressive
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is mediatingprogressive
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have been mediatingperfect progressive
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has been mediatingperfect progressive
Past
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mediatedsimple
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had mediatedperfect
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was mediatingprogressive
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were mediatingprogressive
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had been mediatingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing mediate
100 SAT Words Beginning with "M"
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The Blood of Olympus
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"The Diary of a Young Girl," Vocabulary from the diary
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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:
I appreciate the Qataris and the Pakistanis trying to help mediate, but it is an altogether different thing.
From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026
He has since clarified that the US remains ready to mediate "if that opportunity presents itself".
From BBC ● May 26, 2026
If the Constitution treats all of that information as voluntarily exposed merely because third parties mediate it technologically, then the Fourth Amendment contracts dramatically without anyone ever formally rewriting it.
From Slate ● May 20, 2026
"We are now certain that grapes act as a superfood and mediate a nutrigenomic response in humans," said John Pezzuto, Ph.D.,
From Science Daily ● May 18, 2026
In the beginning Mr. Dussel took our soon-forgotten clashes very seriously, but now he’s grown used to them and no longer tries to mediate.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
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
The Bread is His Body in the sense that it is an embodiment of His Spirit: the Wine is His Blood in the sense that it mediates His Life.
From Religious Reality by Rawlinson, A. E. J. (Alfred Edward John)
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
They also figure that most voters won’t notice since they will occur on transactions mediated by business.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose country mediated the talks, told lawmakers: "Today, the world has seen a historic step towards peace. After the darkness of war, the sun of peace has risen."
From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026
He mediated between demigods, listened to all sides of an argument, found compromises.
From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan
Among the international guests was Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose country has been mediating between Iran and the US, and who attended alongside the powerful Pakistani army chief Asim Munir.
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
Tehran has discussed its proposal to charge service fees in talks with China and Egypt, Iranian and mediating officials said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
Countries that have been mediating the talks didn’t confirm Trump’s optimism in their formal comments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
"China is meeting leaders from around the world, coordinating positions and playing a mediating role," Lim Eul-chul, a North Korea expert at South Korea's Kyungnam University, told AFP.
From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026
By my second year, it was natural for me to spend a typical day mediating between Frederick Douglass’s integration into America and Martin Delany’s escape into nationalism.
From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates
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.
