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

But Knueppel suffered a hamstring injury during offseason workouts and missed the preseason. — Charlotte Observer, 5 Nov. 2026

Backup Cole Ballard, who battled Marshall for KU’s starting quarterback position during the preseason completed 20 of 38 passes for 285 yards, a touchdown and a pick-six interception in a 22-16 road defeat. — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 5 Nov. 2026

Another newcomer that shined was preseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year Jesse-May Hall. — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Nov. 2026

Reed was with the team during training camp and the preseason. — Ashley Paul, CBS News, 3 Nov. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1914, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for preseason

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