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

Bud Clark could return; Cade Bennett will In other injury news, preseason All-Big 12 safety Bud Clark could potentially return Saturday after missing last week’s game. —Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Nov. 2025

LeBron James was sidelined through training camp, the preseason, and the first 14 regular‑season games with a right-sided sciatica nerve issue. —Rowan Fisher-Shotton, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Nov. 2025

The decline is a function of revenue accounting for the Club World Cup, and the cancellation of the 2025-26 preseason tour. —Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 24 Nov. 2025

Along with missing the first month of the regular season, Herro was held out of training camp and the preseason. —Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 24 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1914, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for preseason

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