intervene

verb

in·​ter·​vene ˌin-tər-ˈvēn How to pronounce intervene (audio)
intervened; intervening

intransitive verb

1
: to occur, fall, or come between points of time or events
only six months intervened between their marriage and divorce
2
a
: to interfere with the outcome or course especially of a condition or process (as to prevent harm or improve functioning)
b
: to come in or between by way of hindrance or modification
intervene to stop a fight
3
: to enter or appear as an irrelevant or extraneous feature or circumstance
it's business as usual until a crisis intervenes
4
: to occur or lie between two things
5
a
: to become a third party to a legal proceeding begun by others for the protection of an alleged interest
b
: to interfere usually by force or threat of force in another nation's internal affairs especially to compel or prevent an action
Choose the Right Synonym for intervene

interpose, interfere, intervene, mediate, intercede mean to come or go between.

interpose often implies no more than this.

interposed herself between him and the door

interfere implies hindering.

noise interfered with my concentration

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

mediate implies intervening between hostile factions.

mediated between the parties

intercede implies acting for an offender in begging mercy or forgiveness.

interceded on our behalf

Examples of intervene in a Sentence

Twenty years intervened between their first and last meetings. The prisoner asked me to intervene with the authorities on his behalf. The military had to intervene to restore order. We will leave on time unless some crisis intervenes.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Even the area where a former DOGE staffer was assaulted while intervening in an unarmed carjacking - an example of violent crime in the city highlighted by the White House - was quiet with little law enforcement presence. N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 13 Aug. 2025 Just as the alien is about to pounce on Hermit, Morrow intervenes and electrifies the creature. Jordan Moreau, Variety, 13 Aug. 2025 Nearby patrol officers intervened, and the attackers escaped on foot, but not before Coristine was left bloodied. Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 13 Aug. 2025 Bahi was charged in October in a case linked to the sweeping public corruption case against the mayor, which Adams had been set to stand trial on last spring before the Trump administration intervened in a highly controversial arrangement to allow for his cooperation on immigration matters. Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 12 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for intervene

Word History

Etymology

Latin intervenire to come between, from inter- + venire to come — more at come

First Known Use

1587, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of intervene was in 1587

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Intervene.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intervene. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.

Kids Definition

intervene

verb
in·​ter·​vene ˌint-ər-ˈvēn How to pronounce intervene (audio)
intervened; intervening
1
: to happen as an unrelated event
rain intervened and we canceled the game
2
: to come between points of time or between events
barely one minute intervened between the two phone calls
3
: to come between in order to stop, settle, or change
intervene to stop a fight
4
: to be or lie between
intervening hills
intervention noun

Legal Definition

intervene

intransitive verb
in·​ter·​vene ˌin-tər-ˈvēn How to pronounce intervene (audio)
intervened; intervening
1
: to occur, fall, or come between points of time or events
may be held liable even though other independent agencies intervene between his negligence and the ultimate resultHooks Superx, Inc. v. McLaughlin, 642 N.E.2d 514 (1994)
2
a
: to come in or between by way of hindrance or modification
intervene to stop a fight
b
: to become a party to a legal proceeding begun by others in order to protect an alleged interest in the subject matter of the proceeding
the Commissioner of Internal Revenue was granted leave to interveneP. A. Freund
compare implead, interplead, join
intervenor noun

More from Merriam-Webster on intervene

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