intervene
B2Formal to neutral, common in official, journalistic, and academic contexts.
Definition
Meaning
To come between; to become involved in a situation in order to alter or prevent an action or event.
To occur or happen in the space or time between two other events, creating an interval; to intercede or mediate in a dispute.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The verb carries connotations of intentional action and interruption. It is most often used with a human agent (e.g., a government intervenes) but can have non-human subjects (e.g., a storm intervened). It focuses on changing a pre-existing process or trajectory.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in core usage or form. The spelling and pronunciation are consistent.
Connotations
In both varieties, the word often implies authority or power (military, legal, parental intervention). It can be neutral, positive (e.g., humanitarian intervention), or negative (e.g., unwarranted intervention).
Frequency
Slightly more frequent in UK media/political discourse regarding foreign policy ('military intervention'), but this is a minor difference.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
intervene (intransitive)intervene in [something] (e.g., a conflict)intervene between [two parties]intervene to [do something]Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “to intervene in the nick of time”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
The board may need to intervene if the department's losses continue.
Academic
The study examines the factors that lead states to intervene in the internal affairs of others.
Everyday
I had to intervene when my children started arguing over the toy.
Technical
The surgeon must intervene before necrosis spreads to the surrounding tissue.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The headteacher felt obliged to intervene in the bullying incident.
- If the rains don't intervene, the cricket match will start on time.
American English
- The governor may intervene in the labor dispute.
- Years of peace intervened between the two major conflicts.
adverb
British English
- He was not directly involved but acted interveningly to stop the quarrel. (Rare/Formal)
- The event happened interveningly, altering all our plans. (Rare/Formal)
American English
- The manager stepped in interveningly to clarify the policy. (Rare/Formal)
- Time passed interveningly before the next meeting. (Rare/Formal)
adjective
British English
- The intervening period was marked by uncertainty.
- He ignored the intervening obstacles and focused on the goal.
American English
- She moved here in 2010, lived abroad for the intervening years, and returned last month.
- We'll discuss the main points, skipping the intervening details.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The teacher intervened to stop the argument.
- A week intervened between the two meetings.
- The UN is reluctant to intervene militarily in the conflict.
- Many years intervened before they met again.
- The central bank was forced to intervene in the currency markets to stabilise the pound.
- His study of the intervening historical variables sheds new light on the causes of the revolution.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a referee in a football match running IN between (INTER-VENE) two arguing players to stop the fight.
Conceptual Metaphor
BARRIER/CONTROL: Intervening is seen as placing a barrier in the path of an ongoing process to control its outcome. TIME AS SPACE: Events intervening are seen as objects coming between two points in time.
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid direct translation of 'intervene' as 'интервенировать' (extremely rare/archaic). Use 'вмешиваться' (neutral/pejorative), 'вступаться/заступиться' (to stand up for), 'вмешаться' (perfective), or 'принимать меры' (to take measures).
Common Mistakes
- Using it transitively (e.g., 'He intervened the fight' is wrong; correct: 'He intervened in the fight').
- Confusing with 'interfere', which has a stronger negative connotation of unwanted meddling.
Practice
Quiz
Which of the following sentences uses 'intervene' CORRECTLY?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It is context-dependent. It can be positive (humanitarian intervention, a parent stopping a fight), neutral (time intervening), or negative (unwanted foreign interference).
'Interfere' almost always has a negative connotation of unwanted, harmful, or obstructive meddling. 'Intervene' is more neutral and often implies a purposeful, and sometimes official or authoritative, action to alter a situation.
Yes, as a pure intransitive verb: 'The government will not intervene.' However, it is very commonly followed by prepositions like 'in', 'between', or 'to' + infinitive to specify the nature of the involvement.
No. While typically used with human agents, it can be used with events, especially time or unforeseen circumstances: 'A sudden storm intervened, forcing us to cancel the picnic.'