Meanings
present singular third person intervenes · participle present intervening · participle past intervened · past intervened
- intransitiveTo become involved in a situation, so as to alter or prevent an action.
The police had to be called to intervene in the fight.
1 more example
Nature film-makers are discouraged from intervening in the events they are attempting to capture on film.
2018 November 19, Aamna Mohdin, “Top film-makers back penguin intervention on Attenborough show”, in The Guardian - intransitiveTo occur, fall, or come between, points of time, or events.
An instant intervened between the flash and the report.
4 more examples
[…] it is plain, that shaking off a Power, which Force, and not Right, hath set over any one, though it hath the Name of Rebellion; yet is no Offence before God, but that which he allows and countenances, though even Promises and Covenants, when obtain’d by force, have intervened.
1689 December (indicated as 1690), [John Locke], “Chapter 16”, in Two Treatises of Government: […], London: […] Awnsham Churchill, […], →OCLC, book II, page 417Even sad vicissitude amus’d his soul; And if a sigh would sometimes intervene, And down his cheek a tear of pity roll, A sigh, a tear, so sweet, he wish’d not to controul.
1794, Ann Radcliffe, chapter 4, in The Mysteries of Udolpho, volume 1, London: G.G. and J. Robinson, page 93She counted the days that must intervene before their invitation could be sent; hopeless of seeing him before.
1813 January 27, [Jane Austen], chapter 11, in Pride and Prejudice: […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: […] [George Sidney] for T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC[…] he was prepared to allow long silences to intervene rather than exchange pointless words.
1963, John le Carré, chapter 17, in The Spy Who Came In From the Cold, New York: Coward-McCann, published 1964, page 176Synonyms: elapse
- intransitiveTo occur or act as an obstacle or delay.
Nothing intervened to prevent the undertaking.
5 more examples
The weather intervened before the contest could get under way.
For while so near each other thus all day Our task we choose, what wonder if so near Looks intervene and smiles, or object new Casual discourse draw on, which intermits Our dayes work brought to little,
1667, John Milton, “Book VIII”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC, lines 220-224I reproach’d my self with my Easiness, that would not sow any more Corn one Year than would just serve me till the next Season, as if no Accident could intervene to prevent my enjoying the Crop that was upon the Ground;
1719 May 6 (Gregorian calendar), [Daniel Defoe], The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, […], London: […] W[illiam] Taylor […], →OCLC, page 184[…] a numbness, an occasional stupor, fell upon my mind even in the midst of my terrors, until sleep at last intervened, and in my sea-tossed coracle I lay and dreamed of home […]
1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, chapter 23, in Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLCHe kept the fire brightly blazing, for he knew that it alone intervened between the flesh of his body and their hungry fangs.
1906 May–October, Jack London, chapter III, in White Fang, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., published October 1906, →OCLC, part 1 (The Wild) - ambitransitiveTo say (something) in the middle of a conversation or discussion between other people, or to respond to a situation involving other people.
They all talked nonstop. That is, if you didn’t intervene. They were accustomed to being interrupted.
2014, Rachel Kushner, chapter 10, in The Flamethrowers, New York: Scribner, page 1542 more examples
Young Scarfe stared, astounded. “You haven’t met before,” Mrs. Gould intervened. “Mr. Decoud—Mr. Scarfe.”
1904, Joseph Conrad, Nostromo, Part 2, Chapter 4“That sounds suspiciously like bigotry to me,” intervened Maitland, sweetening his impertinence with a dimpled smile.
1970, J. G. Farrell, Troubles, New York: Knopf, published 1971, Part 2, p. 409Synonyms: interrupt
- ambitransitiveTo come between, or to be between, persons or things.
The Mediterranean intervenes between Europe and Africa.
5 more examples
1668, Joseph Glanvill, Plus Ultra, or, The Progress and Advancement of Knowledge since the Days of Aristotle, London: James Collins, Chapter 11, p. 79, How defective the Art of Navigation was in elder Times, when they Sailed by the observation of the Stars, is easie to be imagin’d: For in dark weather, when their Pleiades, Helice, and Cynosura were hidden from them by the intervening Clouds, the Mariner was at a loss for his Guide, and exposed to the casual conduct of the Winds and Tides.
If the profits of the merchant importer or merchant manufacturer were taxed, equality seemed to require that those of all the middle buyers, who intervened between either of them and the consumer, should likewise be taxed.
1776, Adam Smith, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, London: W. Strahan and T. Cadell, Volume 2, Book 5, Chapter 2, Part 2, Article 4, p. 522[…] small fields and miniature meadows, separated […] by wild self-sown woodlands of birch, alder, holly, mountain ash, and hazel, that meander through the valley, intervening the different estates with natural sylvan marches […]
1839 September, Thomas De Quincey, “Sketches of Life and Manners; from the Autobiography of an English Opium-Eater: Recollections of Grasmere”, in Tait’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume 6, page 569Venters calculated that a mile or more still intervened between them and the riders.
1912, Zane Grey, chapter 22, in Riders of the Purple SageI had begun to eye the door and the intervening furniture, and quickly schemed out the best way of immediate exit.
1979, William Styron, chapter 3, in Sophie’s Choice, New York: Bantam, published 1980, page 82 - lawIn a suit to which one has not been made a party, to put forward a defense of one's interest in the subject matter.
an application for leave (i.e. permission) to intervene
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo occur, fall, or come between, points of time, or events.
verbTo say (something) in the middle of a conversation or discussion between other people, or to respond to a situation involving other people.
More synonyms by meaning
verbget involved, so as to alter or hinder an action, or through force or threat of force
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latininterveniō“come between”
- Englishintervene
Back-formation from intervention, and/or from Latin interveniō (“come between”, verb).
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic تَدَخَّلَ
- تَدَخَّلَ (tadaḵḵala)to come between, or to be between, persons or things
Bulgarian преча, намесвам се
- преча (preča)to become involved in a situation, so as to alter or prevent an action
- намесвам се (namesvam se)to come between, or to be between, persons or things
- намирам се между (namiram se meždu)to occur, to come between, points of time, or events
Catalan intervenir
- intervenirto come between, or to be between, persons or things
Chinese Mandarin 介入
- 介入 (jièrù)to come between, or to be between, persons or things
Czech zasáhnout
- zasáhnoutto come between, or to be between, persons or things
Dutch ingrijpen, interveniëren
- ingrijpento become involved in a situation, so as to alter or prevent an action
- interveniërento become involved in a situation, so as to alter or prevent an action
- tussenbeide komento become involved in a situation, so as to alter or prevent an action
- tussenkomento come between, or to be between, persons or things
- ingrijpento come between, or to be between, persons or things
- interveniërento come between, or to be between, persons or things
Finnish sekaantua, puuttua
- sekaantuato come between, or to be between, persons or things
- puuttuato come between, or to be between, persons or things
- tulla väliinto come between, or to be between, persons or things
French intervenir, intervenir
- intervenirto come between, or to be between, persons or things
- intervenirlaw: 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
German eingreifen, einschreiten
- eingreifento become involved in a situation, so as to alter or prevent an action
- einschreitento become involved in a situation, so as to alter or prevent an action
- dazwischengehento become involved in a situation, so as to alter or prevent an action
- dazwischenfahrento become involved in a situation, so as to alter or prevent an action
- intervenierento become involved in a situation, so as to alter or prevent an action
- dazwischentretento come between, or to be between, persons or things
- eingreifento come between, or to be between, persons or things
- intervenierento come between, or to be between, persons or things
- einschaltento come between, or to be between, persons or things
- einschreitento come between, or to be between, persons or things
- beitretenlaw: 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
- dazwischenkommento occur, to come between, points of time, or events
Greek επεμβαίνω, παρεμβαίνω
- επεμβαίνω (epemvaíno)to become involved in a situation, so as to alter or prevent an action
- παρεμβαίνω (paremvaíno)to become involved in a situation, so as to alter or prevent an action
- μεσολαβώ (mesolavó)to come between, or to be between, persons or things
- μεσολαβώ (mesolavó)to occur, to come between, points of time, or events
Hungarian beavatkozik, beleavatkozik
- beavatkozikto become involved in a situation, so as to alter or prevent an action
- beleavatkozikto become involved in a situation, so as to alter or prevent an action
- közbelépto become involved in a situation, so as to alter or prevent an action
- interveniálto become involved in a situation, so as to alter or prevent an action
- közbejönto occur or act as an obstacle or delay
- felszólalto say (something) in the middle of a conversation or discussion between other people, or to respond to a situation involving other people
- közbeszólto say (something) in the middle of a conversation or discussion between other people, or to respond to a situation involving other people
- közbevágto say (something) in the middle of a conversation or discussion between other people, or to respond to a situation involving other people
- közbevetto say (something) in the middle of a conversation or discussion between other people, or to respond to a situation involving other people
- közte elterülto come between, or to be between, persons or things
- elválasztto come between, or to be between, persons or things
- beavatkoziklaw: 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
Italian intervenire, interagire
- intervenireto become involved in a situation, so as to alter or prevent an action
- interagireto become involved in a situation, so as to alter or prevent an action
- intervenireto come between, or to be between, persons or things
- interferireto come between, or to be between, persons or things
- trovarsito come between, or to be between, persons or things
Latin intercēdō
- intercēdōto come between, or to be between, persons or things
Māori wawao
- wawaoto become involved in a situation, so as to alter or prevent an action
Polish wkroczyć, wkraczać
- wkroczyćto become involved in a situation, so as to alter or prevent an action
- wkraczaćto become involved in a situation, so as to alter or prevent an action
- interweniowaćto become involved in a situation, so as to alter or prevent an action
- przeszkodzićto occur or act as an obstacle or delay
- powstrzymaćto occur or act as an obstacle or delay
- przerwaćto say (something) in the middle of a conversation or discussion between other people, or to respond to a situation involving other people
- przerywaćto say (something) in the middle of a conversation or discussion between other people, or to respond to a situation involving other people
- interweniowaćto come between, or to be between, persons or things
Portuguese intervir, interceder
- intervirto come between, or to be between, persons or things
- intercederto come between, or to be between, persons or things
Russian вмешиваться, вмешаться
- вмешиваться (vméšivatʹsja)to become involved in a situation, so as to alter or prevent an action
- вмешаться (vmešátʹsja)to become involved in a situation, so as to alter or prevent an action
- помешать (pomešátʹ)to occur or act as an obstacle or delay
- вмешиваться (vméšivatʹsja)to say (something) in the middle of a conversation or discussion between other people, or to respond to a situation involving other people
- вмешаться (vmešátʹsja)to say (something) in the middle of a conversation or discussion between other people, or to respond to a situation involving other people
- вме́шиваться (vméšivatʹsja)to come between, or to be between, persons or things
- пройти (projtí)to occur, to come between, points of time, or events
Spanish intervenir, involucrarse
- intervenirto become involved in a situation, so as to alter or prevent an action
- involucrarseto become involved in a situation, so as to alter or prevent an action
- intercederto become involved in a situation, so as to alter or prevent an action
- meterseto become involved in a situation, so as to alter or prevent an action
- intervenirto come between, or to be between, persons or things
Swedish ingripa, intervenera
- ingripato come between, or to be between, persons or things
- intervenerato come between, or to be between, persons or things
Turkish araya girmek, müdahale etmek
- araya girmekto become involved in a situation, so as to alter or prevent an action
- müdahale etmekto become involved in a situation, so as to alter or prevent an action
- karışmakto become involved in a situation, so as to alter or prevent an action
- el atmakto become involved in a situation, so as to alter or prevent an action
Ukrainian втруча́тися, втру́титися
- втруча́тися (vtručátysja)to become involved in a situation, so as to alter or prevent an action
- втру́титися (vtrútytysja)to become involved in a situation, so as to alter or prevent an action
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with intervene
Cite this entry
intervene. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/intervene
“intervene.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/intervene. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “intervene,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/intervene.
Source: intervene on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.