intervention

noun

in·​ter·​ven·​tion ˌin-tər-ˈven(t)-shən 

plural interventions

: the act or an instance of intervening

the intervention of divine providence

: such as

a

: the act of interfering with the outcome or course especially of a condition or process (as to prevent harm or improve functioning)

educational intervention

surgical interventions for cardiovascular disease

b

: the interference of a country in the affairs of another country for the purpose of compelling it to do or forbear doing certain acts

… obscures Eisenhower's decisive personal role in converting the CIA from an intelligence agency into an instrument for American intervention around the world.

—Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.

c

: an occurrence in which a person with a problem (such as a drug addiction) is confronted by a group (as of friends or family members) whose purpose is to compel the person to acknowledge and deal with the problem

stage/mount an intervention

Coaching colleagues and former players pleaded with him to reengage with the game, to no avail, until 1989, when a number of them prepared to stage an intervention.

—Alexander Wolff

interventional

ˌin-tər-ˈven(t)-shə-nᵊl  -ˈvench-nəl 

adjective

interventional cardiology

Examples of intervention in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

With the rise of AI agents now able to shoulder elements of human work tasks, jobs and (in some cases) complete roles with little or no user intervention, the chance to advance forward feels real. —Adrian Bridgwater, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024

Sleep Research has found that some of the interventions mentioned above—such as regular exercise and healthy eating—can help improve sleep among people with prostate cancer. —Markham Heid, TIME, 13 Dec. 2024

Seasonal visitors like rodents, spiders, and wildlife can cause significant damage and health risks without intervention. —Kody Boye, USA TODAY, 12 Dec. 2024

The projections are clear: without intervention, life expectancy will continue to stagnate, health disparities will widen, and the country's global rankings will nosedive. —Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

intervention

noun

in·​ter·​ven·​tion ˌint-ər-ˈven-chən 

: the act or fact or a means of interfering with the outcome or course especially of a condition or process (as to prevent harm or improve functioning)

Many patients with a flail mitral leaflet present with acute severe mitral regurgitation and pulmonary edema, requiring prompt surgical intervention.

—Catherine M. Otto, The Journal of the American Medical Association

Another helpful postpartum intervention is the inexpensive, uterine-contracting drug misoprostol, which has been shown by research in India to prevent up to half of all postpartum hemorrhaging if administered within a few minutes after delivery.

—Judith F. Helzner, Ms. Magazine

intervene

-ˈvēn 

intransitive verb

intervened; intervening

Chemoprevention is the attempt to use natural and synthetic compounds to intervene in the early precancerous stages of carcinogenesis, before invasive disease begins.

—Peter Greenwald, Scientific American

interventional

-ˈvench-(ə-)nəl 

adjective

Interventional radiologists perform surgery guided by X-ray images to stop bleeding from the intestines, prevent some strokes and treat other problems.

—Lawrence K. Altman, The New York Times

… these agents are given while preparations for thrombolytic therapy or interventional cardiac catheterization are being made.

—E. William Hancock, Scientific American Bulletin

interventionist

-ˈven-chə-nist 

noun or adjective

Stange et al. recently discovered that family physicians are more interventionist in their screening than the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends.

—John M. Lee, The New England Journal of Medicine

Legal Definition

intervention

noun

in·​ter·​ven·​tion ˌin-tər-ˈven-chən 

: the act or an instance of intervening

specifically : the act or procedure by which a third party becomes a party to a pending proceeding between other parties in order to protect his or her own interest in the subject matter of the suit compare impleader, interpleader, joinder

Note: Intervention developed as a procedure in equity courts. There is some overlap between joinder and intervention because of the merger of law and equity in federal practice.

— intervention of right

: intervention allowed in federal civil procedure when a statute grants an absolute right to intervene or when the applicant claims an interest in the subject of the proceeding that the applicant may be impeded from protecting by the disposition of the proceeding

Note: Intervention of right will not be granted if the court considers that the applicant's interest is already adequately represented.

— permissive intervention

: intervention allowed in federal civil procedure when a statute grants a conditional right to intervene or when the applicant's claim has a question of law or fact in common with the proceeding