preempt
verb
pre·empt
prē-ˈem(p)t 
preempted; preempting; preempts
1
: to acquire (something, such as land) by preemption
2
: to seize upon to the exclusion of others : take for oneself
the movement was then preempted by a lunatic fringe
3
a
: to replace with something considered to be of greater value or priority : take precedence over
the program did not appear, having been preempted by a baseball game—
Robert MacNeil
Robert MacNeil
b
law
: to replace or supersede (a law) or bar (an action) by the doctrine of preemption
In so doing, the Court held that Congress did not intend to preempt common law contract claims.—Charas v. Trans World Airlines, Inc., 160 F.3d 1259 (1998)
Charas v. Trans World Airlines, Inc., 160 F.3d 1259 (1998)4
: to gain a commanding or preeminent place in
: to make a preemptive bid in bridge
Examples of preempt in a Sentence
The contract preempts lawsuits by the company's clients.
The state law was preempted by a federal law.
The President's speech preempted regular programming.
Recent Examples on the Web
The email went out before any public statement from the White House, suggesting an internal misstep that preempted a formal rollout of the nominees.
—Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 4 July 2025
Williams ruled that the law was likely preempted by federal immigration authority.
—Jim Saunders, Miami Herald, 24 June 2025
Several House Republicans supported the measure, though some emphasized the need for a federal framework to preempt state laws.
—Emily Brooks, The Hill, 3 June 2025
But the ISPs' filing doesn't point to any US law that would specifically preempt the New York affordability mandate or similar proposals being considered in other states.
—ArsTechnica, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for preempt
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 4 July 2025
Williams ruled that the law was likely preempted by federal immigration authority.
—Jim Saunders, Miami Herald, 24 June 2025
Several House Republicans supported the measure, though some emphasized the need for a federal framework to preempt state laws.
—Emily Brooks, The Hill, 3 June 2025
But the ISPs' filing doesn't point to any US law that would specifically preempt the New York affordability mandate or similar proposals being considered in other states.
—ArsTechnica, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for preempt
Cite this Entry
“Preempt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preempt. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
preempt
verb
pre·empt
prē-ˈem(p)t
1
a
: to settle upon (as public land) with the right to purchase before others
b
: to take by such a right
2
: to take before someone else can : appropriate
preempt a seat at the stadium
3
: to take the place of
the president's speech preempted the regular program
Legal Definition
preempt
transitive verb
pre·empt
prē-ˈempt
1
a
: to acquire (land) by preemption
b
: to seize upon to the exclusion of others : take for oneself
a senior user of a trademark could not preempt use of the mark in remote geographical markets—Mesa Springs Enterprises v. Cutco Indus., 736 P.2d 1251 (1986)
Mesa Springs Enterprises v. Cutco Indus., 736 P.2d 1251 (1986)2
a
: to replace or supersede (a law) by preemption
such state laws are not preempted by the federal Energy Reorganization Act of 1974—National Law Journal
National Law Journal
b
: to preclude or bar (an action) by preemption
federal airline deregulation does not preempt claims under state contract law—National Law Journal
National Law JournalLove words? Need even more definitions?
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