preempt
verb
pre·empt
prē-ˈem(p)t 
preempted; preempting; preempts
1
: to acquire (something, such as land) by preemption
2
: to seize upon to the exclusion of others : take for oneself
the movement was then preempted by a lunatic fringe
3
a
: to replace with something considered to be of greater value or priority : take precedence over
the program did not appear, having been preempted by a baseball game—
Robert MacNeil
Robert MacNeil
b
law
: to replace or supersede (a law) or bar (an action) by the doctrine of preemption
In so doing, the Court held that Congress did not intend to preempt common law contract claims.—Charas v. Trans World Airlines, Inc., 160 F.3d 1259 (1998)
Charas v. Trans World Airlines, Inc., 160 F.3d 1259 (1998)4
: to gain a commanding or preeminent place in
: to make a preemptive bid in bridge
Synonyms
Examples of preempt in a Sentence
The contract preempts lawsuits by the company's clients.
The state law was preempted by a federal law.
The President's speech preempted regular programming.
Recent Examples on the Web
The administration sued Idaho in August 2022, saying that the state's restrictions are preempted by the federal law and that strict state bans have confused health workers, confounded patients and led to delays in lifesaving care for pregnant people.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 25 Apr. 2024
Over time, the violence became a two-way street, with Israel mounting increasingly inventive efforts to preempt and retaliate against aggression from Iran and its proxies.
—Suzanne Maloney, Foreign Affairs, 18 Apr. 2024
In today’s deal, Wendy preempted with three spades as East, and South’s four hearts was passed out.
—Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2024
In an interview with the Spokesman Review on Sunday, McMorris Rodgers claimed that the draft’s language is stronger than any active laws, seemingly as an attempt to assuage the concerns of Democrats who have long fought attempts to preempt preexisting state-level protections.
—Makena Kelly, WIRED, 7 Apr. 2024
In Shakespearean tragedies, unlike the late romances, repair is preempted and displaced by revenge, revenge—the repetition compulsion at its most extreme and destructive—seeming to be the alternative to, and the refusal of, reparation.
—Frederick Kaufman, Harper's Magazine, 26 Feb. 2024
The commercial networks were hesitant to preempt their game shows and soap operas to present the hearings.
—Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
After the reader rebuffed his increasingly aggressive attempts at flirting, the executive went to HR himself, presumably to preempt a harassment complaint.
—Karla Miller, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024
Most critically, there is a real danger that informational disclosure risks preempting deeper, tougher regulations that might be warranted.
—TIME, 11 Apr. 2024
Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 25 Apr. 2024
Over time, the violence became a two-way street, with Israel mounting increasingly inventive efforts to preempt and retaliate against aggression from Iran and its proxies.
—Suzanne Maloney, Foreign Affairs, 18 Apr. 2024
In today’s deal, Wendy preempted with three spades as East, and South’s four hearts was passed out.
—Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2024
In an interview with the Spokesman Review on Sunday, McMorris Rodgers claimed that the draft’s language is stronger than any active laws, seemingly as an attempt to assuage the concerns of Democrats who have long fought attempts to preempt preexisting state-level protections.
—Makena Kelly, WIRED, 7 Apr. 2024
In Shakespearean tragedies, unlike the late romances, repair is preempted and displaced by revenge, revenge—the repetition compulsion at its most extreme and destructive—seeming to be the alternative to, and the refusal of, reparation.
—Frederick Kaufman, Harper's Magazine, 26 Feb. 2024
The commercial networks were hesitant to preempt their game shows and soap operas to present the hearings.
—Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
After the reader rebuffed his increasingly aggressive attempts at flirting, the executive went to HR himself, presumably to preempt a harassment complaint.
—Karla Miller, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024
Most critically, there is a real danger that informational disclosure risks preempting deeper, tougher regulations that might be warranted.
—TIME, 11 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'preempt.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near preempt
Cite this Entry
“Preempt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preempt. Accessed 2 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
preempt
verb
pre·empt
prē-ˈem(p)t
1
a
: to settle upon (as public land) with the right to purchase before others
b
: to take by such a right
2
: to take before someone else can : appropriate
preempt a seat at the stadium
3
: to take the place of
the president's speech preempted the regular program
Legal Definition
preempt
transitive verb
pre·empt
prē-ˈempt
1
a
: to acquire (land) by preemption
b
: to seize upon to the exclusion of others : take for oneself
a senior user of a trademark could not preempt use of the mark in remote geographical markets—Mesa Springs Enterprises v. Cutco Indus., 736 P.2d 1251 (1986)
Mesa Springs Enterprises v. Cutco Indus., 736 P.2d 1251 (1986)2
a
: to replace or supersede (a law) by preemption
such state laws are not preempted by the federal Energy Reorganization Act of 1974—National Law Journal
National Law Journal
b
: to preclude or bar (an action) by preemption
federal airline deregulation does not preempt claims under state contract law—National Law Journal
National Law JournalLove words? Need even more definitions?
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