intervention

[ in-ter-ven-shuhn ]

noun

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.

intervention

/ 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

Derived Forms

• ˌinterˈventional, adjective

Other Words From

• in·ter·ven·tion·al in·ter·ven·tion·ar·y adjective
• pro·in·ter·ven·tion adjective
• re·in·ter·ven·tion noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of intervention¹

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

Example Sentences

With so much research to wade through, it’s hard to know what to trust — and I say that as someone who makes a living researching what types of interventions motivate people to change their behaviors.

From FiveThirtyEight

Researchers have rightly realized that individual variation is just as important as the average response to an intervention.

From Outside Online

He will try to avoid using his military for an overt intervention, fearful that this would provoke another round of Western sanctions.

From Ozy

That kind of legal intervention would take unprecedented advocacy.

From MIT Technology Review

The ability to measure and detect it could help identify those at risk and pave the way for new kinds of interventions.

From MIT Technology Review

But South Koreans have a troubled history with American intervention in Korean markets.

From The Daily Beast

American intervention in Korea has frequently sparked protests, especially over film.

From The Daily Beast

My family is ready to mount an intervention, and cancel my streaming accounts.

From The Daily Beast

The second intervention was much more blatant and actually occurred in the middle of an election campaign.

From The Daily Beast

Mitochondrial intervention is the practice of replacing DNA that carries a genetic disease.

From The Daily Beast

I cannot see in science, nor in experience, nor in history any signs of such a God, nor of such intervention.

From Project Gutenberg

De Robeck agrees that we don't know enough yet to warrant us in fault-finding or intervention.

From Project Gutenberg

That money was formerly collected and placed in the treasury through the intervention of the royal officials.

From Project Gutenberg

Too near for reflection; too far for intervention: on tenter hooks, in fact; a sort of mental crucifixion.

From Project Gutenberg

The carriage was packed already and but for a friend's intervention I could not have been able to secure even a seat.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• attack
• invasion