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

The scoring transferred to the United Center on Monday, as Lardis sounded the horn in a preseason game against the Minnesota Wild. — Kalen Lumpkins, Chicago Tribune, 24 Sep. 2026

Ratings from Ohio State's visit to Texas in Week 2, however, make the LSU-Ole Miss contest look like a preseason scrimmage. — Mark Harris Outkick, FOXNews.com, 23 Sep. 2026

Imama dropped the gloves early on his first shift of Tuesday’s preseason 3-2 shootout loss at the Carolina Hurricanes. — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 23 Sep. 2026

At midseason in high school football, the Chaminade High passing duo of sophomore quarterback Jeremy Mellalieu and senior receiver Andrew Cordero has surpassed many of the players ranked higher in preseason forecasts. — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1914, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for preseason

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