Synonym Chooser

How is the word intercede different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of intercede are interfere, interpose, intervene, and mediate. While all these words mean "to come or go between," intercede implies acting for an offender in begging mercy or forgiveness.

interceded on our behalf

When could interfere be used to replace intercede?

While the synonyms interfere and intercede are close in meaning, interfere implies hindering.

noise interfered with my concentration

When is it sensible to use interpose instead of intercede?

While in some cases nearly identical to intercede, interpose often implies no more than this.

interposed herself between him and the door

When would intervene be a good substitute for intercede?

The meanings of intervene and intercede largely overlap; however, intervene may imply an occurring in space or time between two things or a stepping in to stop a conflict.

quarreled until the manager intervened

When can mediate be used instead of intercede?

The words mediate and intercede are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, mediate implies intervening between hostile factions.

mediated between the parties

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of intercede After the news surfaced, Erika Hilton, a trans Brazilian politician, urged the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to intercede on behalf of Barbosa, fearing for her safety and calling the arrest suspicious and violent, according to a translation. Mikelle Street, Them., 26 Aug. 2025 But kismet interceded when Diplo found himself in the studio with Teddy Park, who’s written dozens of hits for K-Pop acts including 2NE1 and BigBang, and who is the creative director and lead producer for BLACKPINK. Katie Bain, Billboard, 23 July 2025 He is said to have interceded in healing the sick — both before and after his death in 1957. Kristen Jordan Shamus, Freep.com, 3 July 2025 Prince William and Kate Middleton have had to contend with divorce rumors, and then reconciliation rumors, and then reports that Middleton was trying to intercede in the relationship between her husband and Prince Harry. Lissete Lanuza Sáenz, StyleCaster, 31 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for intercede
Recent Examples of Synonyms for intercede
Verb
  • Six months later, distraction found its own way of intervening.
    George Caulkin, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
  • Staff also allegedly told patients not to intervene when others were harming themselves on the unit.
    Meg Wingerter, Denver Post, 30 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The Kremlin has repeatedly denied interfering in foreign elections.
    Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2025
  • The cornea is a perfect alternating stack of tiny fibers that is so regular that light goes right through it, and the cells of the lens have lost nearly all their internal structures (organelles), leaving only a soup of almost identical proteins that don’t interfere much with the passage of light.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 25 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Intercede.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/intercede. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on intercede

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