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Meaning & use

divine intervention

noun·Academic

Last updated

UK/dɪˌvaɪn ˌɪntəˈvenʃn/
US/dɪˌvaɪn ˌɪntərˈvenʃn/

Meanings

  1. noununcountablereligion

    An action by God or a god stepping into human affairs to change what would otherwise happen.

    Grammar: No article: it was saved by divine intervention.

    Patterns

    • pray for divine intervention
    • by divine intervention

    The villagers believed the storm stopped only through divine intervention.

    In the myth, the hero escapes the labyrinth by divine intervention.

    Some believers see every recovery as divine intervention.

  2. noununcountablefigurativehumorous

    A lucky, unexpected event that rescues someone from a difficult situation.

    Grammar: Often humorous: it would take divine intervention.

    Patterns

    • need divine intervention
    • take divine intervention to do something

    It will take divine intervention to finish this report by morning.

    The car started on the first try, which felt like divine intervention.

    Only divine intervention could have found a parking space in front of the stadium.

Common combinations

pray for divine intervention
The sailors prayed for divine intervention as the waves rose.
by divine intervention
They survived the crash, they said, by divine intervention.
need divine intervention
After the delays, the team needed divine intervention to make the deadline.
attribute to divine intervention
He attributes his recovery to divine intervention.
nothing short of divine intervention
Winning that match was nothing short of divine intervention.

Synonyms and how they differ

providence
Providence means God's guidance of events over time, while divine intervention points to a specific act at a particular moment.
miracle
A miracle is the event itself, whereas divine intervention names the act of God that causes it.
act of God
Act of God usually names a natural disaster, especially in insurance contracts, rather than a rescue.
godsend
A godsend is a welcome, unexpected benefit, and does not claim that God acted directly.

Word family

divine adjective
coming from or like God
divinely adverb
in a way that comes from God, or wonderfully
divinity noun
the state of being a god, or a god
intervene verb
to step in to change what is happening
intervention noun
the act of stepping in

Commonly confused: divine intervention or deus ex machina?

divine intervention vs deus ex machina

Deus ex machina is a story device in which an unlikely event suddenly solves the plot. Divine intervention is a general expression for God's action or a lucky rescue.

Practice

The team was losing badly with five minutes left, and we joked that only ___ could save them.

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