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
-
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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The Lightning Thief
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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:
State medical organizations, in turn, blamed lawmakers for writing ambiguous laws that offered no guidance about when doctors can intervene.
From Slate ● Oct. 1, 2026
Secondly, that "I can't intervene more" in the process that is ongoing.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
State residents have sued to intervene to defend the board’s decision, and they could appeal Judge Russell’s ruling to the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026
It can lead to a power struggle over how much to intervene and, for example, whether a parent should or should not enter nursing-home care.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
She dragged her feet all the way as if someone might intervene.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
It identifies effective models, replicates them, intervenes in failing schools and closes those that don’t improve.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
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
“Real life intervenes for Kayce. Unfortunately it happens to so many of us.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 1, 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
“Vegetables are good for you; your mother says so too. Have some more,” she insists, until Father intervenes and upholds my right to refuse a dish I don’t like.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
With several powerful groups refusing to disarm, senior politicians have intervened and are now hoping to work out a compromise deal.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
The letter states that the FAI, Uefa and the Irish government should have intervened before this stage, but there is still time to "show the power of sport to unite".
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
In August, Tokyo and Washington confirmed that they had jointly intervened to halt a slide in the yen after it fell to a fresh 40-year low.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
Days later, a top official at the Greek regulator told Binance that Lagarde had personally intervened to thwart the license application, people familiar with the interactions said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Joey didn’t say anything else, so Coach Walski intervened.
From "Tangerine" by Edward Bloor
Although Harbaugh doesn’t see himself intervening on McDaniel’s turf, he does want to see improvement from Herbert.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026
"Constant checking, tracking or intervening may soothe the parent in the short term, but it can inadvertently communicate to the young adult: 'I am not sure you can cope without me.'"
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
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
Those costs will rise, along with your son’s 529 account, in the intervening years.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
She pries open my head and my fists and crams into them responsibility for time, responsibility for intervening oceans.
From "The Woman Warrior" by Maxine Hong Kingston
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.
