preseason

noun

pre·​sea·​son ˌprē-ˈsē-zᵊn How to pronounce preseason (audio)
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 Eric Gaines, the preseason AAC player of the year, spent two seasons at LSU before Kennedy nabbed him. Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Mar. 2024 The Razorbacks, ranked No. 14 nationally in preseason polls, finished 16-17 and missed the NCAA Tournament. Bob Holt, arkansasonline.com, 21 Mar. 2024 After those initial struggles, however, Stone regained form in triple-A, showed signs of improvement over a handful of MLB encores near the end of the season, then dazzled throughout camp this spring, striking out 17 batters while yielding just six baserunners in four preseason appearances. Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2024 But after so much preseason optimism and so many early-season wins, the Utes were merely an average team in a mediocre conference. Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 15 Mar. 2024 In their final year in the league, the Sooners, picked in the preseason to finish fifth, clinched first place with a victory over another departing school, Texas, last week. Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 3 Mar. 2024 Given that Madrid is likely to have its preseason friendlies in the U.S., Endrick might as well stay Stateside and form part of Ancelotti's squad. Tom Sanderson, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 The midfielder wasn’t shy about his motivations to prove national MLS pundits wrong in the preseason. Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 25 Feb. 2024 In October, 2010, during a preseason game between the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks, Boston’s Jermaine O’Neal was positioning himself for a rebound when he was called for a foul. Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 9 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'preseason.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1914, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of preseason was in 1914

Dictionary Entries Near preseason

Cite this Entry

“Preseason.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preseason. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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