intervene

[in-ter-veen]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR intervene ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), in·ter·vened, in·ter·ven·ing.

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.

Origin of intervene

1580–90; < Latin intervenīre to come between, equivalent to inter- inter- + venīre to come; see convene

Related formsre·in·ter·vene, verb (used without object), re·in·ter·vened, re·in·ter·ven·ing.un·in·ter·ven·ing, adjective

Synonyms for intervene

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR intervene ON THESAURUS.COM

1. arbitrate, interpose.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for intervening

intermediate, middle, sandwiched

Examples from the Web for intervening

Contemporary Examples of intervening

Yet their work lives on, and hardly seems to have lost any of its vitality during the intervening years.
The Golden Age of Rock Album Covers
Ted Gioia
December 5, 2014
Israelis have been intervening in American politics for years.
The Inside Story of U.S. Meddling in Israel’s Elections
Aaron David Miller
December 4, 2014
On November 24, 1986, the NSPG met from 2:00 until 3:45 in the afternoon to discuss developments in the intervening two weeks.
How the Reagan White House Bungled Its Response to Iran-Contra Revelations
Malcolm Byrne
November 3, 2014
Eventually, the U.S. pulled back from intervening in Syria—well, at least for a year or so.
The Kardashian Look-Alike Trolling for Assad
Noah Shachtman, Michael Kennedy
October 17, 2014
I suppose in the intervening years I always assumed someone else would make a film about him.
Vogue Photographer Erwin Blumenfeld: Secrets of a Fashion Legend
Tim Teeman
September 14, 2014

Historical Examples of intervening

The intervening time had been one of what I may call spiritual ups and downs.
The Conquest of Fear
Basil King
A glance at the intervening ground, another through his sights.
The Leopard Woman
Stewart Edward White
In the intervening period of waiting my mind underwent a change.
Adventures and Recollections
Bill o'th' Hoylus End
In some respects, these intervening days were the hardest ones she had to bear.
The Dominant Strain
Anna Chapin Ray
The suffragists had spent the intervening ten months in a campaign of their own.
The History of Woman Suffrage, Volume IV
Various

British Dictionary definitions for intervening

intervene

verb (intr)

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

(foll by in or between) 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

Derived Formsintervener or intervenor, noun

Word Origin for intervene

C16: from Latin intervenīre to come between, from inter- + venīre to come

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for intervening

intervene

1580s, back-formation from intervention, or else from Latin intervenire "to come between, intervene, interrupt," from inter "between" (see inter-) + venire "to come" (see venue). Related: Intervened; intervening.