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as in to interrupt
to cause a disruption in a conversation or discussion I hate to interpose, but could you tell me what you meant by that last remark?

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Synonym Chooser

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

Some common synonyms of interpose are intercede, interfere, intervene, and mediate. While all these words mean "to come or go between," interpose often implies no more than this.

interposed herself between him and the door

When could intercede be used to replace interpose?

While in some cases nearly identical to interpose, intercede implies acting for an offender in begging mercy or forgiveness.

interceded on our behalf

When is it sensible to use interfere instead of interpose?

The words interfere and interpose are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, interfere implies hindering.

noise interfered with my concentration

When would intervene be a good substitute for interpose?

The synonyms intervene and interpose are sometimes interchangeable, but 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

Where would mediate be a reasonable alternative to interpose?

The meanings of mediate and interpose largely overlap; however, 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 interpose Nathan sought to interpose himself in sensitive deals despite his lack of experience. Sam Knight, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025 Other ads feature images of Harris and VP candidate Tim Walz interposed with post-apocalyptic scenes, and pictures of Walz and President Biden mashed up with images of prescription drugs spilling out of bottles. Emily Baker-White, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024 Such a note, seemingly interposed at random, echoes Whitman and DeFeo. David L. Ulin, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2023 Just this past weekend, a top campaign staffer reshared a video with an image of DeSantis, a Nazi symbol interposed over the Florida flag, and soldiers on the march. Adrienne Mahsa Varkiani, The New Republic, 25 July 2023 These use a proton-conducting polymer membrane as the electrolyte interposed between the fuel and oxidizer to help shuttle electric charge within the fuel cell. IEEE Spectrum, 14 June 2023 Biden was taking a harder line with Putin, but when the two met earlier in the summer and Zelensky tried to interpose on the summit with dire warnings about the war, he was ignored. New York Times, 16 Jan. 2022 With a mask interposed close to the healthy hamsters (the equivalent of a healthy person wearing a mask), one-third were. The Economist, 28 May 2020 One clever way to avoid the restrictions of being at home, isolated — Kate and Aidy are both being interposed onto different grocery store setting backdrops. Andy Hoglund, EW.com, 26 Apr. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for interpose
Verb
  • Maduro's government views the development as a major security threat and has placed its armed forces on alert and appealed to the United Nations to intervene.
    MSNBC Newsweek, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
  • The incident ended when one of her top aides, Juan José Ramírez Mendoza, intervened.
    Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 5 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • While resting on the boat, Victor begins telling his story to the ship’s captain, Anderson (Lars Mikkelsen), but is interrupted midway by the Creature, who has made it aboard.
    Yasmeen Hamadeh, PEOPLE, 7 Nov. 2025
  • Seven of the past 11 days of racing at the Vuelta were cut short or interrupted because Spain's government estimated more than 100,000 people were on the streets in Madrid during the final stage in September.
    Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 7 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • The woman had catheters inserted in her about 30 times over the years, but never had an experience like the one with Miller, the prosecutor said.
    City News Service, Oc Register, 8 Nov. 2025
  • The clerks inserted memory sticks from the tabulators with results from their local election into the laptop and a program transmitted them to the county through a dedicated, secured network.
    Christina Hall, Freep.com, 8 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • However, the trouble starts when governments interfere and tell funds to invest too much at home, which breaks the delicate balance that fund managers have calculated between risk and reward, said Sébastien Betermier, executive director at the International Centre for Pension Management (ICPM).
    Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 4 Nov. 2025
  • And because the actuation frequencies (between 1 and 100 kilohertz) are far below those used for clinical imaging (between 1 and 20 megahertz), the two functions don’t interfere.
    Elie Dolgin, IEEE Spectrum, 29 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The new foreign media legislation, introduced by Likud lawmaker Ariel Kallner and backed by Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition, would make such powers permanent — even outside times of war or national emergency — and remove the requirement for judicial oversight.
    Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 11 Nov. 2025
  • Those subsidies, which were introduced during the COVID pandemic, are set to expire at the end of the year and could leave as many as 22 million Americans with significantly higher monthly health insurance premiums if Congress does not extend them.
    Nik Popli, Time, 11 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Interpose.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/interpose. Accessed 19 Nov. 2025.

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