Definition of preclear
: to give prior approval or permission to or for (something or someone) : to clear (something or someone) in advance
- preclear goods for import
- The ability to preclear passengers would make an expansion to year-round service more feasible, said Porter Air President Bob Deluce.
- —Associated Press
- Under the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965, jurisdictions with a history of racial discrimination … must "preclear" with the Justice Department any changes that may affect minority power at the polls.
- —John Gibeaut
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preclearance
play \(ˌ)prē-ˈklir-ən(t)s\ noun, plural preclearances-
- Sixteen airports around the world allow U.S.-bound passengers to clear customs before they land. It's a program known as preclearance.
- —Norah O'Donnell
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- … the preclearance section of the Voting Rights Act. It declared that before putting new laws about electoral procedures into effect, the states and localities covered by the Voting Rights Act had to submit them to the Justice Department for approval.
- —— Michael L. Levine
