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to intervene

to intervene

28 5.0
To happen between two events or times
  • verb
  • /ˌɪntərˈviːn/
translation icon : intervenir
  • But sometimes circumstances intervene and you're too busy or things are too hectic.
  • an intervening variable
  • the intervening year
  • an intervening period

Examples

  • Although Stephens's book was published in 1968, little has been revealed in the intervening years to contradict his findings.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Public Act 72 of 1990 extended the state's ability to intervene in all local governments.

    Academic text (2017)
  • Even so, ritual and political factors intervene to limit a household's autonomy.

    Academic text (1992)
  • Neither should any problem exist with the Court's willingness to intervene in matters concerning the exercise of religion.

    Academic text (1991)
  • External authorities were acknowledged, but only rarely did state officials intervene in the everyday life of the villages.

    Academic text (1990)
  • Common across these reforms is a focus on intervening early and intensively to address reading problems.

    Academic text (2008)
  • The moments just prior to or intervening between singing tasks appear to influence auditory processing.

    Academic text (2015)
  • The AutoSet does not require a technician to intervene when pressure alterations are needed.

    Academic text (1999)
  • One of the public's best-learned lessons is that America must not intervene in world trouble spots unilaterally.

    Academic text (1992)
  • The teacher decided to intervene during the argument between the two students to help them resolve their conflict.

Antonyms

1.0

To keep doing something without stopping

How Interruptive

to disrupt
269 4.4
to intervene
28 5.0
interrupt
  • Specialized
3 7.0

Surface Forms

intervene infinitive
intervened past
intervened past participle
intervening present participle
intervenes third person singular

Morphology

intervene = inter + vene

The prefix 'inter-' (between) is clear, but the root 'vene' is not a standalone English word, so learners can partially infer a meaning ('come between') but not fully derive it from known English bases.

Etymology

The word intervene comes from the Latin parts inter- 'between' and venire 'to come', so it literally means 'to come between'. That's why when something intervenes it happens or exists in the time or space between two events.