preempts

verb

present tense third-person singular of preempt
as in seizes
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of preempts Two federal courts of appeals have now issued conflicting decisions on whether federal law preempts states from enforcing their sports betting laws against Kalshi and other prediction-market operators. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 31 Aug. 2026 No federal statute currently preempts state disclosure requirements, and firms advising advertisers have generally recommended continued compliance with state law while the question is litigated. — Gabriel Alin Zainescu, Forbes.com, 25 July 2026 The court held that federal pesticide law preempts a state failure-to-warn claim when the Environmental Protection Agency has not required a cancer warning on the product label. — Alex Smolak, STAT, 27 June 2026 The Justice wrote in a 7-2 opinion written by Justice Brett Kavanaugh that the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act expressly preempts state law and Monsanto's failure to warn consumers about the dangers of glyphosate. — Carrie Johnson, NPR, 25 June 2026 While the county’s charter outlines that vacancies would be replaced by the Board of County Commissioners, Florida law preempts the charter. — Ryan Gillespie, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 May 2026 Now, Supreme Court justices will weigh in on whether federal pesticide law preempts state-level claims. — Christiana Freitag, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026 Last week, a federal judge halted Arizona’s regulatory efforts — which have included criminal charges against Kalshi — finding that the federal commission had demonstrated a reasonable chance of success in showing that the act preempts Arizona law. — ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026 The company argued the federal order preempts any requirement from California regulators, including court orders. — Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preempts
  1. seizes
  2. usurps
  3. confiscates
  4. grabs
  5. occupies
  6. claims
  7. steals
  8. appropriates
Verb
  • Obreht is a writer who doesn’t rush into easy patterns of storytelling but seizes control from the jump.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Better, Cretton seizes small moments to put his stamp on this installment.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026
Definition of seizes
Verb
  • California courts have repeatedly refused to rewrite unconstitutional tax statutes on the grounds that this usurps the role of the Legislature or, in the case of an initiative, the people.
    — Jared Walczak, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 July 2026
  • After witnessing Sinner miss 16 break points against the same opponent on Friday, Alcaraz would have been forgiven for worrying that something similar might happen to him — especially against arguably tennis’s greatest escape artist, at least until the Spaniard usurps him.
    — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2026
Definition of usurps
Verb
  • Unlike most other states, California has its own inspection-and-approval system for fireworks, and confiscates those failing standards.
    — Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 30 June 2026
  • The children designated as Palestinians, meanwhile, have their drawings torn up and are relegated to small corners of the classroom while the teacher confiscates their candy.
    — Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 26 Nov. 2025
Definition of confiscates
Verb
  • Before assisting Shoupe, Rafe grabs his gun, admits to killing Sheriff Peterkin and shares his regret for doing so.
    — Kelly Allen, PEOPLE, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Kurt's key takeaways What grabs me about this story isn’t simply the fact that a robot was involved in eye surgery.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of grabs
Verb
  • The Peter Marino Art Foundation occupies the former Rogers Memorial Library, a charming historic building in Southampton, New York, that its namesake has transformed into something much stranger inside.
    — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 27 Aug. 2026
  • The home occupies the entire top floor of the high-rise, where more than 2,000 square feet of terraces encircle the residence.
    — David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of occupies
Verb
  • The Grammy winner claims Keren Urinov, who worked on her 2025 tour, demanded a 15-year employment contract.
    — Kathleen Perricone, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The company claims the approach could allow Galileo X to handle precise indoor transport, long-range off-road travel, and complex terrain using a unified robotic architecture and control system.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of claims
Verb
  • Jealousy and entitlement steer the actions of middling white writer June Hayward, who brazenly steals the manuscript of her much more talented friend, Chinese-American author, Athena Liu, after being the sole witness to Athena’s death.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2026
  • And, if the wins keep piling up, San Dimas might need to put a fence around his classroom so no one steals him away.
    — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of steals
Verb
  • Tiki bars aren’t without criticism, having occasionally been attacked as escapist fantasy that appropriates Hawaiian or Polynesian iconography.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Summary The Caribbean is increasingly a global wellness hub, though Western influence often appropriates Afro-Indigenous practices.
    — Tiana Randall, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of appropriates

Browse Nearby Words

preemptions
preempts
preen
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Preempts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preempts. Accessed 3 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All