in ‧ ter ‧ vene AC /ˌɪntəˈviːn $ -tər-/ BrE AmE verb
[ Word Family: verb : ↑ intervene ; noun : ↑ intervention ]
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: intervenire , from venire 'to come' ]
1 . [intransitive] to become involved in an argument, fight, or other difficult situation in order to change what happens
intervene in
The police don’t usually like to intervene in disputes between husbands and wives.
The army will have to intervene to prevent further fighting.
2 . [intransitive and transitive] to interrupt someone when they are speaking:
‘Stop shouting, Emily,’ John intervened.
3 . [intransitive] if an event intervenes, it delays or interrupts something else:
He was just establishing his career when the war intervened.
4 . [intransitive] if a period of time intervenes, it comes between two events:
In the six years that intervened, I saw them once.