# intervening

/ˌɪntɝˈvinɪŋ/ (US) · /ˌɪntəvˈiːnɪŋ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/intervening
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. time between two events

adjective · CEFR C1 · Academic

happening or existing between two events or dates.

For teachers: occurring or existing in the time between two specific events, dates, or periods.

- In the intervening years since they last met, he had moved to France.
- The political landscape had shifted dramatically in the intervening decade, rendering the original treaty almost entirely obsolete.

Usage: Always placed before the noun it modifies.

Teaching tip: This is most commonly used in the phrase 'in the intervening years' or 'in the intervening period' to describe changes over time.

### 2. space between two things

adjective · CEFR C1 · Formal

located between two things or places.

For teachers: situated or positioned between two physical points or objects.

- We could see the mountains clearly despite the intervening hills.
- The signal was weakened by the intervening buildings, which blocked the direct line of sight to the transmitter.

Usage: Attributive use only; it precedes the noun.

Teaching tip: While this can refer to physical space, the temporal sense (time) is much more frequent in modern English.

## Examples

- Much has changed in the intervening years.
- The two companies met in June, but the deal collapsed during the intervening months of negotiation.
- While the initial results were promising, the intervening variables introduced by the change in climate made it difficult to replicate the experiment with the same degree of accuracy.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.