preempt

verb pre·empt \ prē-ˈem(p)t \

Updated on: 10 May 2018

Definition of preempt

transitive verb

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 : 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

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

—

preemptor

play \prē-ˈem(p)-tər\ noun

See preempt defined for English-language learners

See preempt defined for kids

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 of preempt from the Web

In it, Enbridge asks for a judgment that a local zoning ordinance is preempted by the federal Natural Gas Act.

— jon chesto, BostonGlobe.com, "Energy giant sues Weymouth over pipeline station, saying federal law overrides zoning," 6 May 2018
Nobody here is arguing that state law preempts federal law.

— Fox News, "'Roseanne' reboot premieres to strong ratings," 29 Mar. 2018
Treasure Coast lawmakers have filed proposals for this legislative session that would lead to the state Department of Transportation having oversight of passenger-rail issues not preempted by federal law.

— jim turner, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Lawmakers will look at Brightline issues, Corcoran says," 19 Jan. 2018
The upshot may be a Trump temptation to strike first, and use nukes to try to preempt Kim’s retaliation.

— trudy rubin, Philly.com, "Button Man vs. Rocket Man could lead to nuclear war | Trudy Rubin," 5 Jan. 2018
This is Cardi B rollickingly sharing her feelings and preempting the gossip machine.

— spencer kornhaber, The Atlantic, "The Revelation of Cardi B," 10 Apr. 2018
McNeil has been paired with Danny Parkins weekday afternoons from 1 to 6 p.m. when not preempted by a Cubs broadcast.

— phil rosenthal, chicagotribune.com, "Dan McNeil sounds off on response to WSCR-AM return, ‘abject failure’ and Danny Parkins," 19 Mar. 2018
But Jeremy preempted the trolls by using some self-deprecating humor.

— megan friedman, Good Housekeeping, "Jeremy and Audrey Roloff Immediately Got Mean Comments After Returning to Instagram," 5 Apr. 2018
Wheeler now wants to earmark a portion of those property-tax dollars toward maintenance projects, preempting the City Council from make decisions that could be swung by politics of the time.

— gordon r. friedman, OregonLive.com, "Ted Wheeler pushes debt financing for $600 million in city fixes by 2040," 28 Mar. 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.

Origin and Etymology of preempt

back-formation from preemption

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1850

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

preempt Synonyms

Synonyms

appropriate, arrogate, commandeer, convert, expropriate, pirate, press, seize, take over, usurp;

assume, collar, grab, grasp, snatch, steal, wrench, wrest;

despoil, loot, pillage;

encroach, infringe, invade, occupy, preoccupy, trespass;

embezzle, misapply, misappropriate, misuse;

PREEMPT Defined for English Language Learners

preempt

verb

Definition of preempt for English Language Learners

: to prevent (something) from happening
: to take the place of (something)
: to be shown instead of (another television program)

Law Dictionary

preempt

transitive verb pre·empt \ prē-ˈempt \

legal Definition of preempt

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)

2 a : to replace or supersede (a law) by preemption