intervention

American  

[in-ter-ven-shuhn] / ˌɪn tərˈvɛn ʃən /

noun

• interventions
  plural

1. the act or fact of coming or occurring between two people, things, or times.

   Squabbling siblings generally work things out themselves, but this fight called for parental intervention.

   Even the intervention of 20 years hadn’t erased their mutual dislike.

2. interposition or interference of one state in the affairs of another.

   The UN’s prohibition of armed intervention in the civil war can easily be criticized as antihumanitarian.

3. a planned confrontation of someone engaging in self-destructive behavior, such as substance abuse, to convince them to seek treatment.

   She thought her drinking was a well-kept secret until she came home to find six of her siblings and friends ready to conduct an intervention.

4. Education. a targeted short-term teaching strategy for students with specific needs.

   Reading interventions kept several of her students from having to switch to remedial classes.

5. Medicine/Medical. a treatment, procedure, or other action taken to prevent or treat disease, or to improve health in other ways.

   The patient has responded well to nonpharmacological interventions for high blood pressure.

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intervention British  

/ ˌɪntəˈvɛnʃən /

noun

1. the act of intervening

2. any interference in the affairs of others, esp by one state in the affairs of another

3. economics the action of a central bank in supporting the international value of a currency by buying large quantities of the currency to keep the price up

4. commerce the action of the EU in buying up surplus produce when the market price drops to a certain value

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• reintervention
  noun
• interventional
  adjective
• interventionary
  adjective
• prointervention
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• interventions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of intervention

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Late Latin interventiōn-, stem of interventiō “interruption, occurrence”; equivalent to intervene + -tion

Explanation

An intervention is the act of inserting one thing between others, like a person trying to help. You could be the subject of a school intervention if your teachers call your parents about the bad grades you've been hiding. Intervention comes from the Latin intervenire, meaning "to come between, interrupt." Often an intervention is intended to make things better, like the US government's intervention to give food and aid to Haiti after the earthquake. One common use of the word refers to a specific type of meeting, or intervention, that happens with the family and friends of a drug addict; they join together to try to convince the drug user to change their ways and live a healthier life.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

intervention interventions

Her intervention came as the government continued to consult on how to financially support families and unpaid carers looking after ill children.

From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026

Saleh began working with the Journal in 2015 and has covered Yemen’s war, the Saudi-led intervention, Gulf rivalries, and the region’s shifting political landscape.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

"This research shows that sleep is not only an indicator of health, but also a potential lever for intervention," adds Lucie Leroux, head of French-speaking activities at the Stop Alzheimer's Foundation.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 29, 2026

Speaking of the intervention in the Japanese yen, “I have asymmetric information,” said Bessent.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026

These species would most likely be extinct were it not for human intervention.

From "Camp Panda" by Catherine Thimmesh

Bleiker now applies the findings to the development of curriculum interventions and early mathematics programs.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 28, 2026

The yen has been sliding despite previous interventions and comments by Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama that Japan was ready to act, remarks aimed at deterring investors from betting on the currency sliding further.

From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026

Jackson Hole has often been the setting for significant interventions by Fed chairs, Deutsche Bank analysts noted.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

“While governments are already using measures to manage bond markets and contain yield pressures, these interventions only address symptoms rather than the underlying debt burden,” said Chhugani and his team.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026

They could see each other every day, without having to worry about the interventions of Minnie’s landlady, who watched them as if she were Minnie’s own mother.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

Related Words

• interference
• mediation