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.

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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

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adjective

1. acting as an intermediary

2. situated, acting, or coming between; intermediate

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• intermediaries
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of intermediary

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

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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

Here, the ancilla acts as an intermediary, allowing researchers to obtain information while preserving the original qubit as much as possible.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 5, 2026

U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff broached the idea, which would use a U.S. intermediary to circumvent European sanctions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026

Meanwhile, China's influence rests partly on its role as an intermediary between Pyongyang and Washington, analysts say, and a direct Trump-Kim deal that sidelines Beijing in Shenzhen could therefore erode its leverage over both sides.

From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026

Connecting clippers with their prospective clients are a number of intermediary websites, where available video jobs are listed.

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

The other men desired me, therefore, to write to Major Byrd as an intermediary and ask that he rectify this galling practice.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson

Chinese buyers have reportedly turned to intermediaries and indirect purchases to access Nvidia chips as both the U.S. and China maintain constraints.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 9, 2026

The talks are expected to focus on "messages exchanged with the United States through intermediaries... particularly regarding the conditions set by Iran for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz".

From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026

Binance has said transactions between “Entity A” and its clients passed through intermediaries before reaching the network.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

Israel has been providing Saudi Arabia with intelligence to help thwart further attacks, using American military intermediaries, according to Israeli media reports.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 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

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Related Words

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

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