Meaning & use
mediate
Last updated
Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
To step in between two sides who disagree and help them reach an agreement, without taking either side.
Grammar: Intransitive with between: mediate between the two groups; transitive with a dispute: mediate a settlement.
Patterns
- mediate between someone and someone
- mediate a dispute
- mediate in something
A retired judge agreed to mediate between the two companies.
The union asked the government to mediate the strike.
Her job is to mediate disputes between neighbors.
verbtransitivetechnical
To be the link or means through which something is passed on or brought about, as with a chemical in the body.
Grammar: Takes an object, often in science: mediate a response.
Patterns
- mediate something
- be mediated by something
Certain proteins mediate the body's response to infection.
The effect is mediated by changes in hormone levels.
Social media can mediate relationships between distant friends.
Word forms
| third person singular | mediates |
|---|---|
| past tense | mediated |
| past participle | mediated |
| -ing form | mediating |
Common combinations
- mediate a dispute
- The principal tried to mediate a dispute between two students.
- mediate between
- The diplomat mediated between the rival leaders.
- mediate a settlement
- A neutral lawyer helped mediate a settlement.
- mediate peace talks
- Norway offered to mediate the peace talks.
- agree to mediate
- The charity agreed to mediate in the family conflict.
Synonyms and how they differ
- arbitrate
- Arbitrate means the third party actually decides the outcome, while a mediator only helps the sides agree on their own.
- negotiate
- Negotiate is what the opposing sides do themselves to reach a deal, but mediate is what an outsider does to help them.
- intervene
- Intervene means stepping in for any reason, including stopping something, and does not guarantee a neutral aim.
- reconcile
- Reconcile means to bring people or ideas back together, and puts more focus on the result than on the process.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: mediate or meditate? mediate or arbitrate?
mediate vs meditate
Meditate means to think quietly or train your mind, while mediate means to help two sides settle a quarrel.
mediate vs arbitrate
An arbitrator can impose a decision, but a mediator cannot.
Practice
The two neighbors could not agree on the fence, so they asked a community worker to ______ between them.
Choose one answer.
Mediate is the word for helping opposing sides agree. Meditate sounds similar but means to reflect quietly, and mitigate means to make something less severe.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “mediate”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.