intervene

in·ter·vene

Use intervene in a sentence

verb

Intervene is defined as to come between or to happen between two points in time.

An example of intervene is to step into the middle of two teens fighting and break them apart.
An example of intervene is for 10 months to fall between an engagement and a wedding.

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MLA Style

"intervene." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 22 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Intervene>.

APA Style

intervene. (n.d.). Retrieved January 22nd, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Intervene

intervene

intransitive verb

-·vened′, -·ven′ing

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

Origin of intervene

Classical Latin intervenire from inter-, between + venire, to come

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MLA Style

"intervene." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 22 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Intervene>.

APA Style

intervene. (n.d.). Retrieved January 22nd, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Intervene

intervene

intransitive verb

in·ter·vened, in·ter·ven·ing, in·ter·venes

a. To involve oneself in a situation so as to alter or hinder an action or development: “Every gardener faces choices about how and how much to intervene in nature's processes” ( Dora Galitzki )
b. To interfere, usually through force or threat of force, in the affairs of another nation.
c. Law To enter into a lawsuit as a third party to assert a claim against one or both of the existing parties.
To come, appear, or lie between two things: You can't see the lake from there because the house intervenes.
To come or occur between two periods or points of time: A year intervened between the two dynasties.
To occur as an extraneous or unplanned circumstance: He would have his degree by now if his laziness hadn't intervened.

Origin of intervene

Latin intervenīre inter- inter- venīre to come ; see g^wā- in Indo-European roots.

Related Forms:

in′ter·ve′nor in′ter·ven′er
noun

in′ter·ven′tion·al
adjective

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"intervene." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 22 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Intervene>.

APA Style

intervene. (n.d.). Retrieved January 22nd, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Intervene

Verb

(third-person singular simple present intervenes, present participle intervening, simple past and past participle intervened)

(intransitive) To come between, or to be between, persons or things.
The Mediterranean intervenes between Europe and Africa.
(intransitive) To occur, fall, or come between, points of time, or events; as, an instant intervened between the flash and the report; nothing intervened (i.e. between the intention and the execution) to prevent the undertaking.
(intransitive) To interpose; as, to intervene to settle a quarrel; get involved, so as to alter or hinder an action
(law) In a suit to which one has not been made a party, to put forward a defense of one's interest in the subject matter.

English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.