intervene
Americanverb (used without object)
-
intervenes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
intervened,
past participle, past
-
intervening
present participle
-
to come between disputing people, groups, etc.; intercede; mediate.
-
to occur or be between two things.
-
to occur or happen between other events or periods.
Nothing important intervened between the meetings.
-
(of things) to occur incidentally so as to modify or hinder.
We enjoyed the picnic until a thunderstorm intervened.
-
to interfere with force or a threat of force.
to intervene in the affairs of another country.
-
Law. to interpose and become a party to a suit pending between other parties.
verb
-
(often foll by in) to take a decisive or intrusive role (in) in order to modify or determine events or their outcome
-
to come or be (among or between)
-
(of a period of time) to occur between events or points in time
-
(of an event) to disturb or hinder a course of action
-
economics to take action to affect the market forces of an economy, esp to maintain the stability of a currency
-
law to interpose and become a party to a legal action between others, esp in order to protect one's interests
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
intervenesimple
-
intervenessimple
-
have intervenedperfect
-
has intervenedperfect
-
am interveningprogressive
-
are interveningprogressive
-
is interveningprogressive
-
have been interveningperfect progressive
-
has been interveningperfect progressive
Past
-
intervenedsimple
-
had intervenedperfect
-
was interveningprogressive
-
were interveningprogressive
-
had been interveningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of intervene
First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin intervenīre “to come between,” from inter- inter- + venīre “to come”; see also basis, come
Explanation
From the Latin "intervenire," meaning “to come between,” the verb intervene means just that: to get involved, to jump in the middle of something, to interfere. The verb intervene was first recorded around 1600. Since then there haven't been many interventions in its meaning or usage. You should probably intervene in a heated verbal fight between two of your friends before it escalates and gets physical. Especially if they're debating the United States’ habit of intervening in international conflicts.
Vocabulary lists containing intervene
Power Prefix: inter-
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
List 3
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Lightning Thief
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
At a news conference in August in Los Angeles, the fighters got into an exchange that forced UFC president Dana White to intervene.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
Public anxiety has intensified following warnings from researchers and industry leaders about increasingly powerful systems, while lawmakers remain deeply divided over how aggressively Washington should intervene.
From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026
Political leaders across the globe have so far seemed reluctant to intervene, despite warnings.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
Director Alex Myers has seen teens try to sweep without touching the broom to the floor; he has to intervene to correct them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
“What is this?” said frozen Mr. Flux, unable to intervene.
From "The Last Last-Day-of-Summer" by Lamar Giles
The Bank of Japan intervenes in the market under the instruction of the ministry to ease economic damage from sharp fluctuations in exchange rates.
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
We can see Houghton’s play in these moments, but then Alloway’s cheeky pop sensibility intervenes, the arch artificiality and ironic tone draining the emotional impact.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2026
But it suggested that Beijing views an amphibious assault on Taiwan as risky and likely to fail, particularly if the U.S. intervenes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 19, 2026
That kind of analysis identifies disparities in outcomes, assesses whether they are justified by legitimate objectives, and intervenes when they are not.
From Salon ● Jan. 22, 2026
“Vegetables are good for you; your mother says so too. Have some more,” she insists, until Father intervenes and upholds my right to refuse a dish I don’t like.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
India's National Commission for Women has also intervened, calling for all those involved to be identified and arrested and for an impartial investigation.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
She kept her seat only after the Supreme Court intervened, and the case is still live.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
In 2017, Kremlev took over the Russian Boxing Federation, after Rubezhnoi personally intervened to put him at the helm.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026
The decree passed in July allows for a student to be transferred to another school in a case involving significant risk to staff, and where education authorities have intervened.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
The abbey intervened with letters and pleas; Mendel was accepted.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
On the intervening night of 8 and 9 June, Satish Salian was called by the police to a hospital where he learnt that his only child was dead.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
I’m also a physician, trained in a profession that asks us to take action by identifying risk factors, diagnosing diseases, and intervening whenever possible.
From Slate ● Aug. 29, 2026
CIF membership has been cautious about intervening or limiting transfer opportunities for fear politicians in Sacramento might get involved.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
In the intervening years, however, a cottage industry of compounding pharmacies emerged, including Ro and Hims & Hers Health.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
However, if that happened the intervening matter would eventually heat up until it glowed as brightly as the stars.
From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
