preempt

verb

pre·empt | \ prē-ˈem(p)t

preempted; preempting; preempts

Definition of preempt

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

3a : 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

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.

4 : to gain a commanding or preeminent place in

5 : to prevent from happening or taking place : forestall, preclude

intransitive verb

: to make a preemptive bid in bridge

Other Words from preempt Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about preempt

Keep scrolling for more

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 Democratic takeover also prevents legislative efforts to weaken democratic structures like national voter ID requirements or preempting state automatic voter registration laws. — Dylan Matthews, Vox, "Trump has eroded important democratic institutions. Will Democratic wins change that?," 8 Nov. 2018 The ordinance also would institute universal background checks on buyers of firearms and challenges a 2011 state law preempting local governments from passing ordinances regulating guns. — Martin E. Comas, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Orange County weighs closing gun-show loophole, reimposing 3-day waiting period," 4 May 2018 His social media missive preempted a policy review with several options that he was set to receive from administration officials. — Philip Rucker, The Seattle Times, "Officials scramble to make Trump’s false assertions real," 23 Oct. 2018 But his critics viewed his confessional as a cynical attempt to preempt allegations that may have been coming his way. — Stephanie Ebbert, BostonGlobe.com, "Junot Díaz case may be a #MeToo turning point," 30 June 2018 But Burg said the state’s right to preempt the FCC’s nationwide rules will be challenged in the courts. — Benny Evangelista, San Francisco Chronicle, "As FCC net neutrality rules expire, internet survives — for now," 11 June 2018 But if the beverage industry keeps pushing laws that preempt soda taxes from ever seeing the light of day, fewer communities will be able to reap these rewards. — Julia Belluz, Vox, "Coca-Cola and Pepsi’s deceptive tactic to stop soda taxes worked in Washington state," 7 Nov. 2018 Republican and Democratic administrations, time and again, have embraced the notion that actions like this are preempted by federal law. — Makena Kelly, The Verge, "Broadband industry groups sue California over net neutrality bill," 3 Oct. 2018 Those laws will be challenged by the FCC, which claims its rules preempt those at the state level. — Alyssa Newcomb /, NBC News, "Net neutrality repeal takes effect, but the fight is far from over," 11 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'preempt.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about preempt

Dictionary Entries near preempt

Statistics for preempt

Last Updated

18 Jan 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for preempt

The first known use of preempt was in 1850

See more words from the same year

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for preempt

preempt

verb

English Language Learners Definition of preempt

: to prevent (something) from happening

: to take the place of (something)

: to be shown instead of (another television program)

See the full definition for preempt in the English Language Learners Dictionary

preempt

transitive verb

pre·empt | \ prē-ˈempt

Legal Definition of preempt

1a : 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)

2a : 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

b : to preclude or bar (an action) by preemption federal airline deregulation does not preempt claims under state contract law — National Law Journal