verb · neutral
mediate
/ˈmiːdieɪt/ME·di·ate
to intervene between parties to help settle a dispute; to act as an intermediate agent
Examples
“The manager mediated the dispute between the two teams to avoid escalation.”
“Certain proteins mediate the interaction between cells.”
“An independent body was appointed to mediate negotiations.”
Band 8 sentence
“An impartial mediator was essential to break the deadlock in the union-management negotiations.”
Collocations
- mediate a dispute
- mediate between
- mediate negotiations
Word family
Common mistakes
use 'mediate' when they mean 'mediate on' or 'mediate for'→mediate between
assume 'mediate' always means 'negotiate'→use 'mediate' for third‑party intervention, not direct negotiation between two equal parties
Say it for a higher band
5help→6mediate→7+mediate
Synonyms
arbitrate
Easily confused
mediate vs. negotiate
“The union negotiated with management, while an external mediator helped when talks stalled.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In Sublist 9
Learn it with its set