preselect

verb pre·se·lect \ ˌprē-sə-ˈlekt \

|Updated on: 17 Jul 2018

Definition of preselect

preselected; preselecting; preselects

transitive verb

: to choose in advance usually on the basis of a particular criterion

—

preselection

play \ˌprē-sə-ˈlek-shən\ noun

Recent Examples of preselect from the Web

French candidates must be preselected by the Culture Ministry before being passed on to Unesco for review.

— claire mufson, New York Times, "Paris Bistros Became Symbols of Resilience. But Are They Unesco Worthy?," 16 June 2018
French candidates must be preselected by the Culture Ministry before being passed on to UNESCO for review.

— claire mufson, BostonGlobe.com, "Bistros are the life of Paris, but are they UNESCO worthy?," 16 June 2018
In theory, this genetic fingerprint could be used to preselect patients who would respond to T-cell therapy, and screen out those who should not undergo the costly, complex process.

— marie mccullough, Philly.com, "Penn study points to why T-cell therapy fails in some patients," 30 Apr. 2018
The event begins with a reception and auction, followed by a presentation of next season’s five preselected shows, as well as an additional final five plays under consideration.

— chronicle staff report, San Francisco Chronicle, "Theater capsule reviews and listings, week of April 8," 5 Apr. 2018
In judicial elections in December, a majority of Bolivians voiced their anger at the government by nullifying their ballots rather than picking from a list of judges that had been preselected by leftists.

— nicholas casey, New York Times, "Bolivia Tells President His Time Is Up. He Isn’t Listening.," 28 Jan. 2018
The MyPark app allows users to preselect and reserve their own parking spots at Dadeland Mall.

— rene rodriguez, miamiherald, "Parking in Miami is big business but still a bargain | Miami Herald," 5 Nov. 2017
There will be 10 contestants preselected through an audition process.

— Howard County Times, "Howard County Fair offers a mix of old and new events [Lisbon/Woodbine]," 3 Aug. 2017
In court papers, police noted that the group DisruptJ20 was well organized, had publicly threatened to shut down the presidential inauguration using violent means, and had preselected a core group of people willing to be arrested.

— the washington post, The Denver Post, "Denver defense attorney leads lawsuit alleging Washington, D.C. police trapped, then arrested Inauguration Day protesters," 23 Jan. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'preselect.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of preselect

circa 1859

in the meaning defined above

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preselect

Definition of preselect

preselection

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preselection

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