intercede
Americanverb (used without object)
-
intercedes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
interceded,
past participle, past
-
interceding
present participle
-
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
-
have intercededperfect
-
has intercededperfect
-
am intercedingprogressive
-
are intercedingprogressive
-
is intercedingprogressive
-
have been intercedingperfect progressive
-
has been intercedingperfect progressive
Past
-
intercededsimple
-
had intercededperfect
-
was intercedingprogressive
-
were intercedingprogressive
-
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-
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
A Christmas Carol
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"The Metamorphosis," Vocabulary from the novella
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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
Mr Bennett described the situation as unbearable and called directly on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy to intercede on their behalf.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2025
As real-life danger threatens the brave young heroes, supernatural forces will intercede in their defense.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 20, 2025
“My spirit will intercede for you, so that Chukwu will send a good man to take care of you and the children.”
From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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
"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
“Landfall” is a romance — a romance in which the president repeatedly intercedes, rom-com fashion — set against the machinations concerning the administration’s defining failure in Iraq.
From New York Times ● Feb. 11, 2019
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
Recently, the agency interceded on Home Depot’s behalf in a case pending before the Supreme Court.
From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026
Instead, the governor interceded and essentially cut Peters’ sentence in half.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2026
She remembers one of Helm’s two dogs was jealous when her owner got close to Staples and would bark until the drummer interceded on Staples’ behalf; the barking immediately stopped.
From Seattle Times ● May 19, 2022
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 her case, the government official interceded, and she survived.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
Dodie Osteen said interceding for those in need is a fulfilling ministry.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 19, 2023
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
She had been convicted of obstructing a police officer, after interceding when the police tried to question a mentally unstable man.
From New York Times ● Jun. 25, 2020
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.
