intermediary

American  

[in-ter-mee-dee-er-ee] / ˌɪn tərˈmi diˌɛr i /

noun

• intermediaries
  plural

1. an intermediate agent or agency; a go-between or mediator.

   Synonyms:

   umpire, arbitrator

2. a medium or means.

3. an intermediate form or stage.

---

adjective

1. being between; intermediate.

2. acting between persons, parties, etc.; serving as an intermediate agent or agency.

   an intermediary power.

intermediary British  

/ ˌɪntəˈmiːdɪərɪ /

noun

1. a person who acts as a mediator or agent between parties

2. something that acts as a medium or means

3. an intermediate state or period

---

adjective

1. acting as an intermediary

2. situated, acting, or coming between; intermediate

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• intermediaries
  plural

Etymology

Origin of intermediary

1785–95; < Late Latin intermedi ( um ) intervening place + -ary; see intermediate ¹

Explanation

An intermediary is someone who acts as a go-between or a mediator between two other people. Be careful when you're the intermediary between two friends who are fighting, because they might both end up mad at you! The word intermediary comes from the Latin intermedius, which is also the root word for intermediate. Inter- means between, and medius means the middle — intermediary retains that sense of being in the middle. Intermediaries are used to negotiate between two countries who are at odds, between a company and a client over a contract, between two bickering children, or between a boss and an employee in salary negotiations.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

intermediary intermediaries

It is understood the potential deal for the former Norwich winger was initially raised by an intermediary close to a senior member of the coaching staff during the close season.

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026

RNA acts as an intermediary between the genetic code stored in DNA and the proteins that perform most of a cell's work.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 31, 2026

It is an exchange, a neutral intermediary that never takes a side.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026

Agents, who act as the intermediary between authors and publishers, have found themselves on the front lines.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

A Mr. Whymper, a solicitor living in Willingdon, had agreed to act as intermediary between Animal Farm and the outside world, and would visit the farm every Monday morning to receive his instructions.

From "Animal Farm: A Fairy Story" by George Orwell

"We are hopeful that the government will be addressing this in its latest interactions with social media intermediaries and direct them accordingly," she added.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

It is not uncommon for Berta to lean on intermediaries to conduct negotiations, although the approach has had varying degrees of success.

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026

Caballero, who once chaired MIT’s economics department, argues that rising debt is challenging the ability of the intermediaries to supply the balance-sheet space, market making, and rollover capacity needed to warehouse them.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026

She retreated further from the public eye, avoiding press and coordinating donations through intermediaries.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

The entire food chain of intermediaries in the subprime mortgage market was duping itself with the same trick, using the foreshortened, statistically meaningless past to predict the future.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

Related Words

• broker
• emissary
• go-between
• mediator
• negotiator