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
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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
Travis County Judge Jessica Mangrum granted a temporary order halting the execution just 90 minutes before it was scheduled to take place after Governor Greg Abbott and the United States Supreme Court declined to intercede.
From Salon ● Oct. 18, 2024
A year later, Lawrence again had to intercede to protect a Rad Lab colleague.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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
In the case of a total lunar eclipse, the Earth intercedes between the sun and the moon.
From Washington Post ● May 11, 2022
"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
But when he said, “We will now pray to the spirit in our own words, for the spirit intercedes for us in accordance with His will,” the silence was broken.
From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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
Legends surrounding St. Nicholas’ generosity appear in texts ranging from medieval manuscripts to modern-day poems, including how he interceded on behalf of wrongly condemned prisoners and miraculously saved sailors from storms.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 5, 2023
He now believes that Sheriff Davis was likely at the rally the whole time and interceded only after news of Cheney’s phone calls had been radioed to him.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 12, 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
By contrast, Mr. Ruto’s party, the United Democratic Alliance, managed its primaries better, with Mr. Ruto himself interceding to appease some disgruntled candidates, Mr. Cheeseman said.
From New York Times ● Aug. 19, 2022
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
The chief claimed to serve the people by interceding for them with the gods and reciting the ritual formulas required to obtain rain, good harvests, and success in fishing.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
