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
Rolling outages are planned by electric companies, and are often preempted with warnings.
—Simmone Shah, Time, 24 June 2025
Two migrants who are living unlawfully in Florida, the Florida Immigrant Coalition and the Farmworker Association of Florida sued the attorney general and 20 state attorneys over the law, arguing that it is preempted by federal law and a violation of the Constitution.
—Melissa Quinn
june 23, CBS News, 23 June 2025
Still, some see the move by Erdogan as a sign the Israel-Iran war could trigger a new arms race in the region, with countries not directly involved in the fray ramping up their military efforts to preempt future conflicts.
—Arkansas Online, 21 June 2025
What the attack did preempt, however, was the next phase of the US-Iranian negotiations, which was scheduled to begin on Sunday.
—Connor Okeeffe, Oc Register, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for preempt
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Simmone Shah, Time, 24 June 2025
Two migrants who are living unlawfully in Florida, the Florida Immigrant Coalition and the Farmworker Association of Florida sued the attorney general and 20 state attorneys over the law, arguing that it is preempted by federal law and a violation of the Constitution.
—Melissa Quinn
june 23, CBS News, 23 June 2025
Still, some see the move by Erdogan as a sign the Israel-Iran war could trigger a new arms race in the region, with countries not directly involved in the fray ramping up their military efforts to preempt future conflicts.
—Arkansas Online, 21 June 2025
What the attack did preempt, however, was the next phase of the US-Iranian negotiations, which was scheduled to begin on Sunday.
—Connor Okeeffe, Oc Register, 20 June 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 2 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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