Synonym Chooser

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

Some common synonyms of intervene are intercede, interfere, interpose, and mediate. While all these words mean "to come or go between," 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

When might intercede be a better fit than intervene?

While the synonyms intercede and intervene are close in meaning, intercede implies acting for an offender in begging mercy or forgiveness.

interceded on our behalf

When is interfere a more appropriate choice than intervene?

The synonyms interfere and intervene are sometimes interchangeable, but interfere implies hindering.

noise interfered with my concentration

In what contexts can interpose take the place of intervene?

The meanings of interpose and intervene largely overlap; however, interpose often implies no more than this.

interposed herself between him and the door

When can mediate be used instead of intervene?

The words mediate and intervene can be used in similar contexts, but 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 intervene Responding officers tried to intervene at that second location, with one officer firing a gun, police said. Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 7 Oct. 2025 These laws compel an affirmation-only approach to treatment plans and impose a chilling effect on counselors otherwise willing to intervene, challenge, or outright attempt to disrupt a child’s feelings of dysphoria, as opposed to fueling their gender confusion. Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 6 Oct. 2025 More than a dozen people either participate in or witness what is happening, but nobody intervenes. Jennifer Gonnerman, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025 Due to Pruitt’s role in the community, a special judge from outside the county was asked to intervene. Noe Padilla, IndyStar, 3 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for intervene
Recent Examples of Synonyms for intervene
Verb
  • Fiscal rules left broken Officials in Brussels are unlikely to want to appear to be interfering in domestic political affairs, but the pressure is on for Paris to embark on some serious fiscal consolidation — and fast.
    Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2025
  • Piastri lost two places in the scuffle, revealing his frustration on the team radio and inquiring if McLaren would interfere by potentially asking Norris to hand back the place to him.
    Saajan Jogia, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Despite Son King’s being openly ridiculed, the coaches did not intercede to help him, the papers say.
    Corky Siemaszko, NBC news, 17 Sep. 2025
  • At best, the rulers who met in Doha on Monday act as supplicants, relying on the whims of a unpredictable US president to intercede with Israel’s leader.
    Ben Wedeman, CNN Money, 16 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Qatar is helping mediate the ceasefire negotiations, but trust is thin, especially after Israel tried to kill Hamas negotiators in Qatar in September.
    Brittney Melton, NPR, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Their scheme involves hot and cold quantum systems that are correlated with each other, and a third system to mediate the heat flow between the two.
    Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 1 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Intervene.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/intervene. Accessed 11 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on intervene

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