MEANING
1. To enter an ongoing situation in order to change its course.
2. To occur between events or lie between positions in space or time.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- intervene in a dispute
- intervene to prevent harm
On the page
The mediator intervened when negotiations stalled.
Nearby words
Word forms
- Base
- intervene
- Past tense
- intervened
- Past participle
- intervened
- Present participle
- intervening
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- intervene
- Present continuous
- am/is/are intervening
- Present perfect
- have/has intervened
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been intervening
- Past
- intervened
- Past continuous
- was/were intervening
- Past perfect
- had intervened
- Past perfect continuous
- had been intervening
- Future
- will intervene
- Future continuous
- will be intervening
- Future perfect
- will have intervened
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been intervening
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: academic / formal. Forms: intervene; intervenes; intervened; intervened; intervening Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: analysis, qualification. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: intervenes.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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