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intervene Definition

in·ter·vene (in′tər vēn′)

intransitive verb -·vened′, -·ven′·ing

  1. to come, be, or lie between
  2. to take place between two events, points of time, etc.
  3. to come or be in between as something unnecessary or irrelevant
  4. to come between as an influence, as in order to modify, settle, or hinder some action, argument, etc.
  5. Law to come in as a third party to a suit, to protect one's own interests

Etymology: L intervenire < inter-, between + venire, to come

intervene Related Forms
in′·ter·ven′er noun or Lawin′·ter·ve′·nor
intervene Synonyms

intervene

v.

  1. To settle

    step in, intercede, mediate; see arbitrate, negotiate 1, reconcile 2.

  2. To happen

    take place, occur, be between; see happen 2.

  3. To meddle

    come between, interpose, intrude; see interrupt 2, meddle 1.

intervene Usage Examples

Object

  • period: The intervening period has come under much less scrutiny.
  • decade: For the progress of that term in the intervening decade has been little short of spectacular.
  • year: In the intervening years I got to know John quite well.

Preposition: on

  • behalf: For that very reason they frequently appealed to the forces of imperial law and order to intervene on behalf of the oppressed.

Modifying Another Word

  • militarily: Vital interests ( in the sense defined above of an obligation to intervene militarily ) would then be involved.
  • decisively: The birth of Jesus Christ means God has intervened decisively in human history.

Used with why or when

  • wherever: The FTAA will also provide the USA to intervene militarily wherever it decides ' representative democracy ' has broken down.
  • where: Teachers are expected to intervene where appropriate to reinforce an idea or teach a new point.
  • when: They monitor and closely police what schools provide, intervening when necessary to rectify shortcomings.

Infinitive complement

  • halt: The Thailand government has called on the Burmese government to intervene to halt the drug traffic.
  • prevent: The government should intervene to prevent banks ruining the industry.
  • stop: It is high time the UN also intervened to stop what threatens to escalate into a state verses state conflict.
  • protect: People do have to intervene to protect vulnerable people.
  • save: In his view, God would not intervene to save his people from the Nazis.
  • defend: The furor led to Tony Blair intervening to defend the school.

Preposition: in

  • affair: The Commission has wide powers to intervene in the affairs of a charity where things have gone wrong.
  • dispute: Yet, the lords of the Admiralty remained very hesitant about the Prime Minister's decision to intervene in the succession dispute in Lagos.
  • proceeding: In the light of what she said in her affidavit the bureau sought permission to intervene in these proceedings.
  • row: The Togolese Prime Minister Edem Kodjo had said he would travel to Germany to personally intervene in the row.
  • debate: In particular, there is the necessity for revolutionaries to intervene in the concrete debates of the day.