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.
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
Alexander WolffExamples of intervention in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The procedure was safe and well-tolerated across different anatomies, underlying disease conditions, and the complexity of prior interventions.
—IEEE Spectrum, 15 May 2024
The city has responded by releasing the People’s Plan for Community Safety, a key centerpiece of which is new investments of reportedly $100 million for community violence intervention (CVI) programs.
—Jens Ludwig, Chicago Tribune, 15 May 2024
Of course, some men opt for medical interventions like Viagra, but not all men benefit from taking a pill.
—Myisha Battle, TIME, 15 May 2024
Drivers can mix and match power train and suspension settings in Individual mode, and a new Wet mode calms the power train and ups the stability control’s intervention threshold to make the Vantage easier to drive on wet or snowy roads.
—Angus MacKenzie, Robb Report, 12 May 2024
Nurses beget nurses Here’s one intervention that nurses say would reduce burnout and stem their exodus: make sure that enough registered nurses are at the bedside around the clock to care for patients safely.
—Karen B. Lasater and K. Jane Muir, STAT, 10 May 2024
That’s because Homegirl’s parent nonprofit, Homeboy Industries, has evolved since 1988, when it was founded as a way of improving the lives of former gang members in East L.A., into the largest gang intervention, rehab and re-entry program in the world.
—The Editorial Board, Orange County Register, 10 May 2024
Some initiatives have struggled to bring crisis intervention alternatives to scale.
—Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2024
By the early ’70s, Thompson had developed a serious heroin addiction and — through a family intervention — enrolled in a Royal Oak detox clinic.
—Brian McCollum, Detroit Free Press, 9 May 2024
IEEE Spectrum, 15 May 2024
The city has responded by releasing the People’s Plan for Community Safety, a key centerpiece of which is new investments of reportedly $100 million for community violence intervention (CVI) programs.
—Jens Ludwig, Chicago Tribune, 15 May 2024
Of course, some men opt for medical interventions like Viagra, but not all men benefit from taking a pill.
—Myisha Battle, TIME, 15 May 2024
Drivers can mix and match power train and suspension settings in Individual mode, and a new Wet mode calms the power train and ups the stability control’s intervention threshold to make the Vantage easier to drive on wet or snowy roads.
—Angus MacKenzie, Robb Report, 12 May 2024
Nurses beget nurses Here’s one intervention that nurses say would reduce burnout and stem their exodus: make sure that enough registered nurses are at the bedside around the clock to care for patients safely.
—Karen B. Lasater and K. Jane Muir, STAT, 10 May 2024
That’s because Homegirl’s parent nonprofit, Homeboy Industries, has evolved since 1988, when it was founded as a way of improving the lives of former gang members in East L.A., into the largest gang intervention, rehab and re-entry program in the world.
—The Editorial Board, Orange County Register, 10 May 2024
Some initiatives have struggled to bring crisis intervention alternatives to scale.
—Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2024
By the early ’70s, Thompson had developed a serious heroin addiction and — through a family intervention — enrolled in a Royal Oak detox clinic.
—Brian McCollum, Detroit Free Press, 9 May 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'intervention.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near intervention
Cite this Entry
“Intervention.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intervention. Accessed 23 May. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical 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
Catherine M. Otto, The Journal of the American Medical AssociationAnother 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
Judith F. Helzner, Ms. Magazine
intervene
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
Peter Greenwald, Scientific American
interventional
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
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
E. William Hancock, Scientific American Bulletin
interventionist
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
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
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