preseason

noun

pre·​sea·​son ˌprē-ˈsē-zᵊn 

ˈprē-ˌsē-zᵊn

plural preseasons

: a period of time immediately preceding a season

tourists who visit during the preseason

especially : a training period preceding a sport's regular season in which teams compete in unofficial games

The preseason starts in two weeks.

performed well in (the) preseason

Quarterback John Friesz was lost for the year in the preseason to knee surgery.

—Paul Zimmerman

Dennis Rodman's mysterious boycott finally ended on Monday when he arrived for practice for the first time since the start of preseason.

—Jack McCallum

preseason adjective

preseason football

preseason training

the preseason opener/finale

preseason rankings/polls

the preseason favorite

Examples of preseason in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Free agent winger Calvin Harris seemed a bit more likely to re-sign with the Rapids, but his absence from preseason narrows those odds. —Braidon Nourse, Denver Post, 15 Jan. 2026

Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Cameron Smith all committed to staying put when speaking to reporters on Tuesday at a preseason press conference. —Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 14 Jan. 2026

Junior catcher/infielder Katie Stewart and junior outfielder Kayden Henry earned spots on the preseason second team. —Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 14 Jan. 2026

Midway through the preseason, that star changed his mind — and Webb wound up redshirting. —Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 14 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1914, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for preseason

• milesian
• partizan
• postseason
• unreason
• reason
• season
• seizin
• treason