preempted

Or pre-empt·ed

[pree-emp-tid]

adjective

1. (of land) occupied in order to establish a prior right to buy.

   In 1860 the blacksmith arrived in Kansas to buy his preempted claim of 120 acres on Mission Creek.

2. acquired or appropriated ahead of others; taken for oneself.

   The group of retired friends lunched together every day in a preempted room at the Exchange Club.

3. Government.,  being or relating to an area of oversight reserved by a particular level of government, especially an area that would otherwise be under the authority of a lower level of government.

   Except in the federally preempted domain of warnings based on smoking and health, tobacco regulation is under state control.

4. replaced or set aside because of other priorities, reconsideration, changes in scheduling, etc..

   The preempted programs were usually game shows or reruns of primetime sitcoms.

5. forestalled or prevented by advance action.

   Knowledge acquired through a preempted attack may inform national response and help deter future attacks.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of preempt.

Other Word Forms

• unpreempted adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of preempted¹

First recorded in 1860–70; preempt ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; preempt ( def. ) + -ed ¹ ( def. ) for the verb sense

Example Sentences

This is despite being preempted in 23% of U.S. households, in markets where ABC affiliates are owned by Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Media Group, station chains that persist in refusing to air the show.

From Salon

Two major owners of ABC affiliates dropped the show, after which ABC said it would be “preempted indefinitely.”

From Los Angeles Times

The late-night program has been dark since Wednesday, when the Disney-owned ABC network announced in a terse statement that it will be “preempted indefinitely.”

From Los Angeles Times

The late-night program has been dark since Wednesday, when the Disney-owned network announced in a terse statement that it will be “preempted indefinitely.”

From Los Angeles Times

While Thursday’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” was preempted by a rerun of “Celebrity Family Feud,” continuing ABC’s indefinite suspension of the talk show, some of Kimmel’s late-night colleagues used their platform to sound off.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• booked www.thesaurus.com
• restricted