mediate

/ˈmiːdieɪt/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈmiːdieɪt/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈmē-dē-ət/ (ame, mw)

mediate — verb

  • mediatepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • mediateshe / she / it
  • mediatedpast simple
  • mediating-ing form

1. To speak with both sides of a disagreement and help them find a way to settle it

1.動詞及物 / 不及物B2
釋義

To speak with both sides of a disagreement and help them find a way to settle it, without taking sides yourself.

例句

Jiwoo mediated between the two departments over the budget disagreement.

mediate + between + groups in disagreement

The United Nations sent a team to mediate the border conflict.

mediate + noun phrase (dispute/conflict)

同義詞
  • arbitrate

    More formal than 'mediate'; often implies the third party makes a binding decision.

  • conciliate

    Focuses on calming hostility and winning trust, not necessarily reaching a formal agreement.

  • negotiate

    The parties negotiate directly; a mediator is a neutral third party who helps them negotiate.

  • moderate

    Refers to running a discussion or debate fairly; less about resolving deep disagreement.

反義詞
  • provoke

    To deliberately cause or increase conflict rather than resolve it.

  • aggravate

    To make a disagreement worse instead of cooling it down.

文法句型

mediate + noun phrase (dispute/conflict/negotiation)

mediate + between + [people or groups]

mediate + object + for + [person]

用法筆記

When the focus is on the people or groups rather than the issue, use 'mediate between' (intransitive). The direct object is most often a type of disagreement — a dispute, conflict, or negotiation — not the people themselves, though 'mediate the parties' is occasionally found in formal legal writing.

常見錯誤

❌I mediated my two friends who were arguing.
✅I mediated between my two friends who were arguing.
💡Use 'between' when the object refers to the people in disagreement.
❌The teacher mediated the students.
✅The teacher mediated the dispute between the students.
💡The direct object should be the disagreement, not the people.

2. To act as an invisible middle step or mechanism that influences how something ha

2.動詞及物C1
釋義

To act as an invisible middle step or mechanism that influences how something happens, is understood, or is passed on — for example, how social media shapes what news people see, or how a chemical in the body controls a reaction.

例句

Social media platforms mediate how people receive breaking news.

mediate + wh-clause (how)

In many societies, cultural norms mediate the way communities respond to rapid change.

同義詞
  • convey

    More general; focuses on carrying something from one place or person to another.

  • transmit

    Often implies a technical or electronic process; stronger sense of one-directional flow.

  • channel

    Suggests directing something through a specific route or medium.

  • facilitate

    Broader; means to make something easier without necessarily being the mechanism itself.

文法句型

mediate + noun phrase (experience/response/understanding)

mediate + wh-clause

mediate + noun phrase + through/with + [mechanism]

用法筆記

The subject of this sense is usually an abstract or institutional agent (a process, platform, system, or mechanism) rather than a person. Common in academic, technical, and social-science writing. The object is an experience, response, or process — not a concrete thing.

常見錯誤

❌The internet mediates me to talk to my family.
✅The internet mediates communication between family members across long distances.
💡The object is the thing being transmitted or shaped, not the person who benefits.
❌Money mediates the transaction.
✅Money mediates the exchange of goods and services.
💡The object should name the process or experience, not just restate the transaction.

mediate — adjective