intervention

intervention — noun

1. an act of stepping into a difficult situation on purpose, with the goal of helpi

1.nounB2
Definition

an act of stepping into a difficult situation on purpose, with the goal of helping or stopping things from getting worse

Example

The teacher's early intervention helped Asher improve his reading skills in just three months.

possessive + early intervention + helped [person]

Without outside intervention, the dispute between the two companies would have gone to court.

without + outside intervention

Common collocations
  • early intervention
  • direct intervention
  • timely intervention
  • outside intervention
  • immediate intervention
Synonyms
  • involvement

    less active than intervention — can mean simply being part of something

  • mediation

    specifically refers to helping two sides reach an agreement; narrower than intervention

  • stepping in

    informal equivalent of intervention

Antonyms
  • inaction

    choosing not to intervene or take any step

Grammar Patterns

intervention in something

intervention by someone

adjective + intervention

Usage Note

This is the broadest sense and can apply to personal, social, educational, or organizational situations where someone actively steps in to help.

Common Mistakes

The teacher's interference helped the student.
The teacher's intervention helped the student.
'interference' suggests unwanted meddling; 'intervention' implies intended help.

2. a situation in which God or a higher power changes the way events unfold in the

2.nounB2
Definition

a situation in which God or a higher power changes the way events unfold in the human world

Example

Survivors of the flood described their narrow escape as a clear case of divine intervention.

clear case of divine intervention

The old man prayed daily for divine intervention to bring rain to his dry farmland.

prayed for divine intervention

Common collocations
  • divine intervention
  • by divine intervention
  • through divine intervention
  • a case of divine intervention
Synonyms
  • miracle

    emphasizes the wondrous or supernatural result rather than the act of intervening

  • providence

    more formal; suggests God's protective guidance over time

Grammar Patterns

divine intervention

divine intervention from someone

by divine intervention

Usage Note

Almost always used with the adjective divine. May be used in both religious and literary contexts.

3. a situation where a country sends its armed forces into another nation to influe

3.nounB2
Definition

a situation where a country sends its armed forces into another nation to influence or control what happens there

Example

The UN Security Council voted on a resolution to authorize military intervention in the region.

authorize military intervention in [region]

Critics warned that military intervention would cause even more civilian deaths in the capital.

Common collocations
  • military intervention
  • foreign intervention
  • international intervention
  • armed intervention
  • UN intervention
  • authorize intervention
Synonyms
  • invasion

    stronger and more hostile; implies taking territory by force rather than stepping in to influence events

  • incursion

    suggests a sudden, brief entry; often used for small-scale attacks

  • peacekeeping

    a type of intervention aimed at maintaining peace with the consent of involved parties

Antonyms
  • isolationism

    the policy of staying out of other countries' affairs

Grammar Patterns

military intervention in [place]

intervention by [country/organization]

call for intervention

authorize intervention

Usage Note

Often used in news reports and political discussion. The preposition 'in' typically introduces the location or country affected.

Common Mistakes

The country made an intervention to its neighbor.
The country carried out a military intervention in its neighbor's territory.
use 'carry out' or 'launch' instead of 'make'; use 'in' not 'to'.

4. a planned meeting where family and friends confront someone about their drug or

4.nounB2
Definition

a planned meeting where family and friends confront someone about their drug or alcohol addiction and push them to seek treatment

Example

Dahlia's friends organized an intervention to urge her to seek help for her drinking problem.

organized an intervention to urge [person] to seek help

The addiction counselor helped Bilal's family plan an intervention for his cocaine dependency.

plan an intervention for [problem]

Common collocations
  • hold an intervention
  • stage an intervention
  • plan an intervention
  • drug intervention
  • alcohol intervention
Synonyms
  • confrontation

    more general and often negative; intervention is a structured, supportive type of confrontation

Grammar Patterns

hold an intervention

plan an intervention

intervention for [problem]

Usage Note

This sense is especially common in American English and often involves a trained counselor. Typically used with verbs such as 'hold', 'stage', 'plan', or 'organize'.

Common Mistakes

They did an intervention for his drinking.
They held an intervention for his drinking.
use 'hold', 'stage', or 'organize' rather than 'do'.

5. a conversation arranged by people close to someone to point out that the person'

5.nounB2
Definition

a conversation arranged by people close to someone to point out that the person's actions are harmful and need to change

Example

Manuela's coworkers arranged an intervention to discuss her repeated angry outbursts in the office.

arranged an intervention to discuss [behavior]

The school counselor suggested an intervention for the student who skipped class every day.

suggested an intervention for [person/behavior]

Common collocations
  • hold an intervention
  • arrange an intervention
  • a family intervention
Synonyms
  • talk

    informal and less structured than an intervention

Grammar Patterns

hold an intervention

arrange an intervention

intervention with someone

Usage Note

Similar to the addiction sense but broader — applies to any harmful behavior such as gambling, overspending, or anger issues. Does not require a formal addiction.

6. a medical action or procedure carried out by healthcare professionals to treat o

6.nounB2
Definition

a medical action or procedure carried out by healthcare professionals to treat or improve a health problem

Example

The doctors recommended a surgical intervention to remove the tumor from Élise's left lung.

surgical intervention + remove [body part]

Early medical intervention can greatly improve a patient's chance of surviving a stroke.

early medical intervention + improve chance of [outcome]

Common collocations
  • medical intervention
  • surgical intervention
  • immediate intervention
  • early intervention
  • minimally invasive intervention
Synonyms
  • treatment

    broader than intervention — treatment covers the whole care plan, while intervention often refers to a specific procedure

  • procedure

    focuses on the technical steps rather than the decision to act

  • therapy

    typically refers to ongoing care rather than a single targeted action

Antonyms
  • watchful waiting

    a medical approach where doctors monitor a condition without actively treating it

Grammar Patterns

medical intervention

surgical intervention

immediate medical intervention

undergo intervention

Usage Note

Often used in healthcare discussions to distinguish between watchful waiting and active treatment. Can refer to anything from medication to surgery.

Word family

  • intervene
    verbB2
  • intervener
    nounC1
  • interventional
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Intervention, interference, mediation, and involvement all describe taking part in a situation, but they carry very different tones. Intervention implies purposeful action meant to help or improve things — a teacher helping a struggling student, or a country stepping in to stop a conflict. Interference is almost always negative; it suggests unwanted meddling where the person stepping in has no right to be there. Mediation is a neutral, structured type of intervention where a third party helps two sides communicate and find a solution, without taking sides. Involvement is the broadest and most neutral — it simply means being part of something, whether actively or passively. For example: "The UN approved an intervention to protect civilians" (purposeful help), but "The neighbor's constant interference made the argument worse" (meddlesome).

intervention ↗interference ↗mediation ↗involvement ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • intervention program
  • intervention strategy
  • intervention plan
  • intervention group

Adverbs

Phrases

  • call for intervention
  • carry out an intervention
  • stage an intervention
  • a form of intervention

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Intervention comes from Latin 'interventio', built from 'inter-' (between) and 'venire' (to come). The original idea was literally 'a coming between' — stepping into a space between two people or sides. English borrowed it in the 1400s through French 'intervention', at first mainly for legal and diplomatic settings, and later broadened to all kinds of situations where someone steps in.