preemptive

adjective

pre·​emp·​tive prē-ˈem(p)-tiv 

1

a

: of or relating to preemption

b

: having power to preempt

2

of a bid in bridge : higher than necessary and intended to shut out bids by the opponents

3

: giving a stockholder first option to purchase new stock in an amount proportionate to the stockholder's existing holdings

4

: marked by the seizing of the initiative : initiated by oneself

a preemptive attack

preemptively adverb

Examples of preemptive in a Sentence

The country took preemptive action against the perceived enemy.

a preemptive attack by the army

Recent Examples on the Web

Iran's Fars news agency said the United States and Iran are negotiating whether the United States and its allies would not attack Iran or its supporters, which include Hezbollah in Lebanon, while Iran would pledge not to launch preemptive attacks. —Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 26 May 2026

There's a fine line between acting like a crazy fan and breaking the law, and sometimes having a preemptive plan in place is the best move. —Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 23 May 2026

In a preemptive move, Lionsgate has locked down rights to Carry Me to My Grave, a buzzy forthcoming novel from New York Times bestselling author Christopher Golden, as a development project for Francis Lawrence, who is eyeing direct and produce under his first-look deal with the studio. —Matt Grobar, Deadline, 15 May 2026

Given that neither Meta nor AI would rank high in a general popularity poll, the up-front announcement is something of a preemptive clearing of the decks. —Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 15 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1855, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for preemptive

• exemptive
• redemptive

Legal Definition

preemptive

adjective

pre·​emp·​tive prē-ˈemp-tiv 

: of or relating to preemption