as in seizing
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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Recent Examples of preempting
In addition to the GAIN AI Act, lawmakers have also been divided over a push to include a provision preempting state AI laws in the NDAA.
—
Julia Shapero, The Hill, 4 Dec. 2025
There's internal discussion noted the importance of securing him to a new contract now, potentially preempting interest or offers from other promotions as his current deal nears its end.
—Andrew Ravens, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
DeSantis signed a bill this year preempting local governments from blocking development of a presidential library, aiming to overrule potential opposition in liberal-leaning counties or municipalities.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2025
The late-night show returned to ABC days later, drawing more than 6 million viewers, despite Nextar and Sinclair affiliates preempting the show.
—Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2025
Two major station owners, Nexstar and Sinclair Broadcast Group, still are preempting his program from their airwaves.
—Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2025
Those remarks resulted in Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr threatening action against ABC, and media companies Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcasting Group—both of which own many ABC affiliates—preempting the show.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 24 Sep. 2025
Sinclair last week followed Nexstar in preempting Kimmel’s show.
—Lillian Rizzo, CNBC, 23 Sep. 2025
Beginning Tuesday night, Sinclair will be preempting Jimmy Kimmel Live!
—Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2025
Julia Shapero, The Hill, 4 Dec. 2025
There's internal discussion noted the importance of securing him to a new contract now, potentially preempting interest or offers from other promotions as his current deal nears its end.
—Andrew Ravens, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
DeSantis signed a bill this year preempting local governments from blocking development of a presidential library, aiming to overrule potential opposition in liberal-leaning counties or municipalities.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2025
The late-night show returned to ABC days later, drawing more than 6 million viewers, despite Nextar and Sinclair affiliates preempting the show.
—Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2025
Two major station owners, Nexstar and Sinclair Broadcast Group, still are preempting his program from their airwaves.
—Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2025
Those remarks resulted in Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr threatening action against ABC, and media companies Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcasting Group—both of which own many ABC affiliates—preempting the show.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 24 Sep. 2025
Sinclair last week followed Nexstar in preempting Kimmel’s show.
—Lillian Rizzo, CNBC, 23 Sep. 2025
Beginning Tuesday night, Sinclair will be preempting Jimmy Kimmel Live!
—Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preempting
Verb
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But seizing current oil production is one thing; overhauling Venezuela's entire oil industry would be another.—
Camila Domonoske,
NPR,
7 Jan. 2026
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Trump has occasionally discussed seizing Greenland since his first term but few initially took his threats seriously.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Thomas then appeared to quickly lunge at Leon, swiftly grabbing and lifting him up before body slamming the suspect to the ground.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
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SpaceX was also famously involved in funding and operating the headline-grabbing Polaris Dawn crewed commercial mission in September 2024.—
Eric Lagatta,
AZCentral.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The War of the Two Caesars also serves as a nice mirror for everything going down with the Brotherhood, Elder Cleric Quintus still hellbent on usurping the Commonwealth despite the arrival of Kumail Nanjiani’s Paladin Xander Harkness, an emissary from that neck of the woods.—
Jack King,
Vulture,
31 Dec. 2025
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The District of Columbia attorney general, however, accused the administration of unlawfully usurping control of the city’s law enforcement and violating a law prohibiting troops from doing domestic police work.—
Michael Collins,
USA Today,
27 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Security forces are conducting door-to-door searches, confiscating satellite dishes to identify protesters.—
Bobby Ghosh,
Time,
20 Jan. 2026
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After confiscating the device, officials downloaded its data to look at the GPS locations of where the drone had been.—
Laura Romero,
ABC News,
12 Dec. 2025
Verb
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How heartbreaking, and how vile, that any adult claiming compassion would seek to imbue a child with that extreme allergy to their own self.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Jan. 2026
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This positions you as someone who understands their space without claiming to have all the answers.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In a decision filed last week in Fulton County Superior Court, District Attorney Fani Willis said there wasn't enough evidence to prosecute Patty Durand for stealing trade secrets, which is a felony.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
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Portland cut it to single digits early in the fourth with a pair of at-the-rim makes by Robert Williams III, the second of which Holiday set up by stealing an errant White pass.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The bankruptcy filing comes only a few months after Fat Brands, the parent company of Twin Hospitality Group and other restaurant brands like Fatburger, Great American Cookies and Fazoli's, began converting Smokey Bones barbecue restaurants into Twin Peaks.—
Greta Cross,
Freep.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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Timmons is converting the former Winstead’s drive-thru into a 138-seat outdoor patio.—
Jenna Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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When that happened in 2007, Chevron entered a deal to continue operating in the country, but ConocoPhillips and ExxonMobil departed, accusing the Venezuelan government of unfairly appropriating billions in assets.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 Jan. 2026
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But Huddleston disagreed, saying the charter governs spending money but doesn’t apply to merely appropriating it.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Preempting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preempting. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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