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:
Lawmakers could similarly intervene in local issues like public education, urban planning or policing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026
Speaking at the end of a regular ECB monetary policy press conference Thursday, Lagarde said she was quitting so that she could intervene in politics.
From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026
This program aims to equip physicians with better ways to identify and intervene in harmful biological changes before they develop into disease or advance into conditions that are difficult to treat.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 27, 2026
To win, a plaintiff must establish a concrete injury and persuade a judge to intervene.
From Salon ● Oct. 27, 2026
But I would not intervene on his behalf, and simply bowed in the direction of the prisoner to let him know that I was on his side.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
That pause will expire on Friday unless the Supreme Court intervenes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
"When one country intervenes in the decisions of another country, freedom dies," Petro wrote Tuesday in response to Trump's endorsement.
From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 2026
“Real life intervenes for Kayce. Unfortunately it happens to so many of us.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 1, 2026
At several points, Ratner intervenes to prod Trump into sharing more about herself.
From BBC ● Jan. 30, 2026
Aunt Melissa intervenes, planting her body firmly between us and the agents.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
The Catholic Church intervened in September, publishing a document titled "The Fragility That Makes Us Human" in which it questioned why disability care was being addressed solely from a budgetary perspective.
From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek said the person “heroically intervened to stop further loss of life.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
The chapter said the woman’s friend alerted one of their “sober monitors,” and other members intervened.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
Players from both teams intervened, and the episode was documented on video by the NFL.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
“Nico,” Jason intervened, “we’re not questioning your power. We just want to make sure you don’t kill yourself trying.”
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
"We're particularly interested in understanding these processes in children, because we believe that intervening early could make a real difference."
From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2026
"That this coming event is worse than that, after three intervening global bleaching events ... is a terrifying reality," he said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
Upon arriving, the statues discover that Rome has undergone more than a few changes over the intervening centuries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
It just so happened that in the intervening 25 minutes, there had been no more rain, so the track was pretty dry by the time the race started.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
Only a tiny fraction of them is stopped by the intervening matter.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
