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 The bystander tries to intervene again, and Duffy is seen on video striking the person. Greg Wehner, Fox News, 5 Mar. 2024 On Monday, after the Justice Department asked the Supreme Court to intervene, Justice Samuel Alito paused the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals' order through Wednesday, March 13, and gave Texas until the end of the business day next Monday to plead its case. Camilo Montoya-Galvez, CBS News, 4 Mar. 2024 Johnson continued to attack the victim, who was bleeding on the ground, until two bystanders intervened and restrained Johnson. Zenebou Sylla, CNN, 29 Feb. 2024 Daniels said one student who was about to get into trouble messaged Daniels and asked him to intervene. Andrea May Sahouri, Detroit Free Press, 29 Feb. 2024 The court’s decision to intervene in a second major Mr. Trump case this term, along with the dispute over whether he is barred from being president again because of his actions following the 2020 election, underscores the direct role the justices will have in the outcome of the election. Mark Sherman, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 Feb. 2024 His lawyers have asked the Supreme Court to intervene. David Ingram, NBC News, 28 Feb. 2024 The strains on Eagle Pass and Maverick County created an opportunity for the Texas governor to intervene with Operation Lone Star. Nick Miroff, Washington Post, 28 Feb. 2024 Past efforts by the group to intervene in primaries have often caused infighting. Shane Goldmacher, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'intervene.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Dictionary Entries Near intervene

Cite this Entry

“Intervene.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intervene. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!