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

Blank bulletin board for Hurley Hurley likes to point at preseason rankings and award projections for motivation leading up to and throughout the season. — Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 1 Oct. 2026

That station, which the Heat has declined to identify, plans to simulcast two of the five preseason games and all of WPLG’s regular season package. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 1 Oct. 2026

Neal in 2026 preseason training camp had been hampered by a hamstring injury dating to the end of the 2025 campaign. — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 30 Sep. 2026

This might surprise a lot of people who just paid attention to the preseason polls, but Lincoln Riley was under a lot of scrutiny heading into his fifth year in Los Angeles. — Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1914, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for preseason

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