intervene

verb

in·​ter·​vene ˌin-tər-ˈvēn 

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

Synonyms

• intercede
• intermediate
• interpose
• mediate

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

As a result, the medical board was asked to intervene. —Daniel Bice, Journal Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2024

When conditions didn't improve over the next several years, the city asked HUD to intervene in 2022. —John Tuohy, The Indianapolis Star, 10 Apr. 2024

Schwartz, the attorney for the dissidents, has asked the court to intervene so candidates whom the NLRB determined were illegally fired, such as Spence, can campaign in non-work areas of Amazon's property. —Haleluya Hadero, Quartz, 8 Apr. 2024

According to local law enforcement, an altercation at a martini bar at the CityPlace Doral complex broke out around 3:30 a.m. Saturday, prompting a security guard working the scene to intervene. —Rob Wile, NBC News, 7 Apr. 2024

The Department of Correction’s investigations division later found that all nine of the guards who did not intervene had failed to do their job, records show. —Ainara Tiefenthäler, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2024

Patel began filming before the pandemic, and finishing the movie was a trial; it was fated for a streaming release until filmmaker and producer Jordan Peele intervened on its behalf. —Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 5 Apr. 2024

In intervening years, art therapy has become a staple treatment for improving mental health in populations that for various reasons get isolated from larger society, such as people with cognitive and mobile disabilities in care facilities, or people in prison. —A.k. Whitney, Orange County Register, 2 Apr. 2024

All signs point to a continued deceleration in prices after a gruesome two-year stretch for inflation, which has forced the Bank of England to intervene by bringing interest rates to generational highs. —Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 2 Apr. 2024

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

Kids Definition

intervene

verb

in·​ter·​vene ˌint-ər-ˈvēn 

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

-ˈven-chən 

noun

Legal Definition

intervene

intransitive verb

in·​ter·​vene ˌin-tər-ˈvēn 

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 result

—Hooks 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 intervene

—P. A. Freund

compare implead, interplead, join

intervenor

-ˈvē-nər, -ˌnȯr 

noun