as in to seize
to take or make use of under a guise of authority but without actual right
the thoughtless teenagers had preempted front-row seats that were reserved for the guests of honor
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of preempt
Advocates want federal lawmakers to pass online safety laws around social media and AI tools without preempting states’ ability to regulate.
—
Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 20 Apr. 2026
The legislation would create uniform statewide standards, replacing the current patchwork of local ordinances, an approach that has the backing of the Illinois Municipal League, which typically resists state efforts to preempt home rule authority.
—Jeremy Gorner, Chicago Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026
And the Jets preempted a looming Williams contract issue with that deal.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 15 Apr. 2026
To that end, Kalshi insists states are preempted by a federal law, the Commodity Exchange Act, from enforcing their gambling laws on exchanges that offer sports prediction market wagers.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 14 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for preempt
Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 20 Apr. 2026
The legislation would create uniform statewide standards, replacing the current patchwork of local ordinances, an approach that has the backing of the Illinois Municipal League, which typically resists state efforts to preempt home rule authority.
—Jeremy Gorner, Chicago Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026
And the Jets preempted a looming Williams contract issue with that deal.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 15 Apr. 2026
To that end, Kalshi insists states are preempted by a federal law, the Commodity Exchange Act, from enforcing their gambling laws on exchanges that offer sports prediction market wagers.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 14 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for preempt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preempt
Verb
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That’s been enough for Minnesota to seize a 2-1 lead after trailing by 19 points early in Game 2.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
24 Apr. 2026
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The other ship taken by Iran, the Francesca, stopped transmitting in the same area where it was seized.—
Sean Nevin,
NBC news,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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This would reset the balance between the executive and legislative branches, demanding the House and Senate not cede excessive authority to unelected bureaucrats who are only too happy to usurp legislative powers.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
18 Apr. 2026
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Rookie catcher Daniel Susac isn’t going to usurp Bailey, a two-time Gold Glover, after a couple of good starts, but Susac could very well see more time against lefties.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The war ends, and marauding Russians confiscate the family estate.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
23 Apr. 2026
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Israeli police have for years confiscated Palestinian flags from Palestinians, accusing them of disturbing the peace.—
Tal Shalev,
CNN Money,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Rivera’s defense team contended that the gun went off inadvertently in a struggle after Rosen reached into the car and grabbed Rivera.—
John Annese,
New York Daily News,
27 Apr. 2026
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Walsh locked down Maxey out of a Sixers timeout to force a turnover, and the Celtics grabbed four offensive rebounds on one first-quarter possession, with Walsh and Scheierman accounting for three of them.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Along with Lee, second baseman Luis Arraez collected three hits and stole his team-leading fourth base of the season.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
25 Apr. 2026
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The senior right-hander gave up a two-out single in the fifth but that runner was thrown out trying to steal second.—
Lou Ponsi,
Oc Register,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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One of the most effective ways to lower outrageous healthcare costs is to give employers access to their own health plan claims data.—
Jordan Bruneau,
Boston Herald,
25 Apr. 2026
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In Joseph Heller’s novel, claiming to be crazy is taken as evidence of sanity.—
Fintan O’Toole,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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McDaniels delivered 20 points, converting 9 of 13 shots, and added 10 rebounds.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
24 Apr. 2026
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Bromfield had nearly finished converting the 25,000-square-foot brick building to apartments when the pandemic derailed his work.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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This exercise is intended to not only show where the Rangers have players in place for 2026-27, and which spots those players are likely to occupy, but also to highlight the most glaring holes.—
Vincent Z. Mercogliano,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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Ganni has historically occupied a clearly accessible contemporary positioning, but its elevation strategy has nudged it upward without fully redefining what the brand stands for.—
Maliha Shoaib,
Vogue,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Preempt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preempt. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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