preemptive

adjective

pre·​emp·​tive prē-ˈem(p)-tiv 

1

a

: of or relating to preemption

b

: having power to preempt

2

of a bid in bridge : higher than necessary and intended to shut out bids by the opponents

3

: giving a stockholder first option to purchase new stock in an amount proportionate to his existing holdings

4

: marked by the seizing of the initiative : initiated by oneself

a preemptive attack

preemptively adverb

Examples of preemptive in a Sentence

The country took preemptive action against the perceived enemy.

a preemptive attack by the army

Recent Examples on the Web

Hunters and Invasion showrunner David Weil is poised to make his feature directing debut on Tyrant, part of a preemptive spec deal for his script made by Amazon MGM Studios. —Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 11 Aug. 2025

States seeking to disable a command-and-control system must proceed with caution, as overt moves to knock out a rival’s system may be seen as the prelude to a nuclear attack, potentially justifying preemptive retaliation. —Sam Winter-Levy, Foreign Affairs, 7 Aug. 2025

As Forbes was finishing this article, Pierson took to Instagram to post a preemptive response. —Monica Hunter-Hart, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025

For his part, South Korea’s Lee has taken preemptive steps to thaw the frosty status between the countries. —Washington Examiner Staff, The Washington Examiner, 28 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1855, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for preemptive

• exemptive
• redemptive

Legal Definition

preemptive

adjective

pre·​emp·​tive prē-ˈemp-tiv 

: of or relating to preemption