intervene
Americanverb (used without object)
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intervenes,
present (3rd person singular)
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intervened,
past participle, past
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intervening
present participle
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to come between disputing people, groups, etc.; intercede; mediate.
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to occur or be between two things.
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to occur or happen between other events or periods.
Nothing important intervened between the meetings.
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(of things) to occur incidentally so as to modify or hinder.
We enjoyed the picnic until a thunderstorm intervened.
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to interfere with force or a threat of force.
to intervene in the affairs of another country.
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Law. to interpose and become a party to a suit pending between other parties.
verb
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(often foll by in) to take a decisive or intrusive role (in) in order to modify or determine events or their outcome
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to come or be (among or between)
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(of a period of time) to occur between events or points in time
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(of an event) to disturb or hinder a course of action
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economics to take action to affect the market forces of an economy, esp to maintain the stability of a currency
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law to interpose and become a party to a legal action between others, esp in order to protect one's interests
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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intervenesimple
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intervenessimple
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have intervenedperfect
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has intervenedperfect
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am interveningprogressive
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are interveningprogressive
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is interveningprogressive
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have been interveningperfect progressive
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has been interveningperfect progressive
Past
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intervenedsimple
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had intervenedperfect
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was interveningprogressive
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were interveningprogressive
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had been interveningperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing intervene
Power Prefix: inter-
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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.
See Examples For:
There’s also been speculation that Japanese authorities might quietly intervene again in foreign-exchange markets to further curb the yen’s downturn since September.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026
The service can intervene when developers are "unable or unwilling to fix" problems, but it only covers new properties purchased outright - not those bought under shared-ownership.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
Traders are betting that Japanese authorities could once again intervene to support the currency.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
Wayve later told me it was the driver's decision to intervene and they were confident their AI system would have handled it.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
“And I wouldn’t have to intervene on your behalf.”
From "The Reader" by Traci Chee
The Bank of Japan intervenes in the market under the instruction of the ministry to ease economic damage from sharp fluctuations in exchange rates.
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
We can see Houghton’s play in these moments, but then Alloway’s cheeky pop sensibility intervenes, the arch artificiality and ironic tone draining the emotional impact.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2026
But it suggested that Beijing views an amphibious assault on Taiwan as risky and likely to fail, particularly if the U.S. intervenes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 19, 2026
That kind of analysis identifies disparities in outcomes, assesses whether they are justified by legitimate objectives, and intervenes when they are not.
From Salon ● Jan. 22, 2026
He stood between me and every thought of religion, as an eclipse intervenes between man and the broad sun.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
However, Sirisena personally intervened and granted Gnanasara a presidential pardon in 2019 after the monk had served less than a year of his sentence.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
Robin Brooks, senior economist at the Brookings Institution, thinks the “current strengthening of the yen has all the signs of hidden intervention,” meaning that authorities may have intervened more than they publicly have let on.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026
The yen was last trading at 156.05 per dollar, after briefly reaching a one-month high that had been seen around the time Tokyo intervened in the foreign-exchange market in coordination with Washington.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
Officers intervened on the A55 on Anglesey on Monday evening and temporarily closed the road, with footage on social media appearing to show a taxi being pulled over by police vehicles.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
Security Council intervened in South African affairs, blaming the government for the shootings and urging it to initiate measures to bring about racial equality.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
I’m also a physician, trained in a profession that asks us to take action by identifying risk factors, diagnosing diseases, and intervening whenever possible.
From Slate ● Aug. 29, 2026
CIF membership has been cautious about intervening or limiting transfer opportunities for fear politicians in Sacramento might get involved.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
Those costs will rise, along with your son’s 529 account, in the intervening years.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
Mistaken identity: At the World Cup, the VAR was intervening on simulation.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
Northwestern had been his first choice; he’d been turned down, had settled for the only school that let him leave the state, but once he’d met Elena it had seemed, to him, like fate intervening.
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
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.
