preempt

verb pre·empt \ prē-ˈem(p)t \

|Updated on: 5 Jul 2018

Examples: preempt in a Sentence

Definition of preempt

preempted; preempting; preempts

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 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

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

—

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

Brush & Nib, which was never asked to provide services for a gay wedding but sought to preempt such a request, alleged that Phoenix’s 2013 anti-discrimination law violated the First Amendment rights of its owners.

— erik larson, Bloomberg.com, "Same-Sex Couples Score Victory in Phoenix Calligraphy Fight," 7 June 2018
The resignation preempts what could have been an inglorious departure.

— Fortune, "WPP CEO Martin Sorrell Resigns From Ad Empire Amid Allegations of Misconduct," 15 Apr. 2018
China preempted Thursday’s announcement by floating the possibility of retaliatory tariffs on US agricultural and aerospace exports.

— tom simonite, WIRED, "Trump’s Latest China Tariffs Could Hurt Tech—and Even Social Media," 22 Mar. 2018
ISPs will argue that states are preempted by the FCC decision to eliminate nationwide net neutrality rules.

— jon brodkin, Ars Technica, "California Senate defies AT&T, votes for strict net neutrality rules," 30 May 2018
Alarmed by the trend, conservative politicians and the Catholic Church wanted to preempt any attempt to loosen the Irish ban.

— ciara nugent, Time, "Ireland May Be About to Repeal One of Europe's Strictest Abortion Laws. This Is the History Behind the Referendum," 23 May 2018
The telecommunications industry has already vowed to challenge state laws, which could be preempted by the FCC's order to overturn its net neutrality rules.

— klint finley, WIRED, "The WIRED Guide to Net Neutrality," 9 May 2018
There would be a number of hurdles to any defamation lawsuit, including that the CBA might preempt such a lawsuit (a court may consider the player’s grievance procedure under Article 43 to be a final resolution for a defamation claim).

— michael mccann, SI.com, "Can the NFL or Its Teams Legally Require Players to Stand for the Anthem? NFLPA Doesn't Think So," 8 May 2018
Enacting state legislation forbidding employers from forcing workers to attend workplace meetings became more complicated Thursday when Attorney General George Jepsen said federal law preempts state action.

— stephen singer, courant.com, "Jepsen Opinion Complicates Legislation Barring Forced Workplace Meetings," 26 Apr. 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