as in to seize
to take or make use of under a guise of authority but without actual right
the thoughtless teenagers had preempted front-row seats that were reserved for the guests of honor
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of preempt
The Weird and Wild column had to be preempted by other programming these last couple of weeks.
—
Jayson Stark, New York Times, 29 May 2026
While the county’s charter outlines that vacancies would be replaced by the Board of County Commissioners, Florida law preempts the charter.
—Ryan Gillespie, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 May 2026
The bill would also create a national standard for NIL payments that would preempt state law.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 May 2026
Laws that preempt local zoning do not implement themselves and face major hurdles.
—Christina Mojica, Oc Register, 26 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for preempt
Jayson Stark, New York Times, 29 May 2026
While the county’s charter outlines that vacancies would be replaced by the Board of County Commissioners, Florida law preempts the charter.
—Ryan Gillespie, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 May 2026
The bill would also create a national standard for NIL payments that would preempt state law.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 May 2026
Laws that preempt local zoning do not implement themselves and face major hurdles.
—Christina Mojica, Oc Register, 26 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for preempt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preempt
Verb
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For Portugal’s Vitinha, 26, Brazil’s Vinicius Junior and Norway’s Haaland, both 25, and France’s Michael Olise, 24, there might be no better opportunity to seize.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
11 June 2026
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The Spurs made 14 3-pointers, a Finals record for one half, to seize control of this game in a stunning display of shot-making and poise.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
11 June 2026
Verb
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The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in March upheld a complaint by Ukraine that Russia’s chess federation had usurped control of the game in areas of Ukraine captured by the Russian military.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
12 June 2026
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The two are separate, Bourne writes, even if, in war, the state tries to usurp the country and speak for it.—
Gal Beckerman,
The Atlantic,
8 June 2026
Verb
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Local residents and business owners said Israeli forces had later returned to the area and confiscated all CCTV recordings.—
Jeremy Diamond,
CNN Money,
13 June 2026
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But any noise-making devices such as vuvuzelas, air horns and whistles will be confiscated.—
Laurence Miedema,
Mercury News,
12 June 2026
Verb
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Grant asks Chris about the boxing gloves now for sale in the night store, but Katie forestalls him by running over and grabbing them, nearly flattening Chris.—
Tasha Robinson,
Vulture,
16 June 2026
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Demonstrators grabbed bricks from the ground to throw at police, as tear gas was deployed in Geneva's streets, witnesses told Reuters.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
15 June 2026
Verb
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Oswald Peraza led off the third with a double, and Nick Madrigal drove him in with a two-out single before stealing second and scoring on Logan O’Hoppe’s single for a 4-0 advantage.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
13 June 2026
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Instead of asking for an iPhone passcode, a scammer may send a fake Google, Find My Device, Find Hub, Samsung Find or carrier message after your Android phone is stolen.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
12 June 2026
Verb
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Earlier this year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed that his forces had captured a Russian position using only drones and robots for the first time, and had conducted more than 22,000 unmanned ground missions using robots in just the first three months of 2026.—
Lauren Kent,
CNN Money,
14 June 2026
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The lawsuit claims a correctional officer assigned to protect the woman stood by as an inmate followed her into a freezer and pulled a weapon.—
Zach Boetto,
CBS News,
13 June 2026
Verb
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Powered entirely by sunlight, the system simultaneously transforms carbon dioxide into a valuable chemical while converting biomass waste into the essential building blocks for sustainable plastics.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
12 June 2026
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Both men have been arraigned in 37th District Court in Warren with nine charges each of weapons – firearms – devices to convert semiautomatic to automatic, along with one charge each of weapons – felony firearm, the sheriff's office said.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
12 June 2026
Verb
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Fahed Rahal said soccer occupies a unique place within Algerian culture, serving as a source of identity and connection across generations.—
J.M. Banks
June 15,
Kansas City Star,
16 June 2026
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Siebel Newsom, 51, has occupied a higher profile position compared to spouses of other state leaders.—
Lia Russell,
Sacbee.com,
16 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Preempt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preempt. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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