intervene

American  

[in-ter-veen] / ˌɪn tərˈvin /

verb (used without object)

intervenes, present (3rd person singular) intervened, past participle, past intervening present participle

1. to come between disputing people, groups, etc.; intercede; mediate.

   Synonyms:

   interpose, arbitrate

2. to occur or be between two things.

3. to occur or happen between other events or periods.

   Nothing important intervened between the meetings.

4. (of things) to occur incidentally so as to modify or hinder.

   We enjoyed the picnic until a thunderstorm intervened.

5. to interfere with force or a threat of force.

   to intervene in the affairs of another country.

6. Law. to interpose and become a party to a suit pending between other parties.

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intervene British  

/ ˌɪntəˈviːn /

verb

1. (often foll by in) to take a decisive or intrusive role (in) in order to modify or determine events or their outcome

2. to come or be (among or between)

3. (of a period of time) to occur between events or points in time

4. (of an event) to disturb or hinder a course of action

5. economics to take action to affect the market forces of an economy, esp to maintain the stability of a currency

6. law to interpose and become a party to a legal action between others, esp in order to protect one's interests

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• intervener
  noun
• unintervening
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• intervening
  present
• intervened
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• intervene
  simple
• intervenes
  simple
• have intervened
  perfect
• has intervened
  perfect
• are intervening
  progressive
• am intervening
  progressive
• is intervening
  progressive
• have been intervening
  perfect progressive
• has been intervening
  perfect progressive

Past

• intervened
  simple
• had intervened
  perfect
• was intervening
  progressive
• were intervening
  progressive
• had been intervening
  perfect progressive

Future

• will intervene
  simple
• will have intervened
  perfect
• will be intervening
  progressive
• will have been intervening
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

In practical terms, this amounts to a claim that patients must risk their lives too, given that physicians facing the loss of their professional futures and liberty will sometimes wait too long before they intervene.

From Slate • Jun. 16, 2026

It seems highly likely Fifa will have to issue a clarification about this, otherwise fans are going to expect the VAR to intervene on diving.

From BBC • Jun. 13, 2026

An said there were a lot of people on the shoot, adding that they did not intervene and "were so still and just there, staring at me".

From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026

Last month, the West Virginia tax division filed a motion to intervene in the federal lawsuit, saying the Greenbrier and the Justices owe the state $4.4 million in sales and personal income taxes from 2025.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 6, 2026

There’ve been so many times I’ve wanted to speak up, to intervene, to help people.

From "Wishtree" by Katherine Applegate

Related Words

• arbitrate
• intercede
• interfere
• involve
• meddle
• negotiate