intervention
Americannoun
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
noun
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the act of intervening
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any interference in the affairs of others, esp by one state in the affairs of another
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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
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commerce the action of the EU in buying up surplus produce when the market price drops to a certain value
Other Word Forms
- interventional adjective
- interventionary adjective
- prointervention adjective
- reintervention noun
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
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.
He suggested the possibility of government operations to support the currency, which has recently stood near the 160 intervention danger zone against the dollar as safe-haven demand bolsters the greenback.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026
Constellation Energy’s stock is down 19% this year amid investor doubts about its growth and political intervention concerns.
From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026
Despite the complexities, there seems to be an agreement that education and early intervention is key.
From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026
He said Lurie is “trying very hard” but insisted federal intervention would get the job done faster.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026
In other words, what the tetanus intervention needed in order to tip was not an avalanche of new or additional information.
From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell
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.
