pre-emption
Britishnoun
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law the purchase of or right to purchase property in advance of or in preference to others
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international law the right of a government to intercept and seize for its own purposes goods or property of the subjects of another state while in transit, esp in time of war
Etymology
Origin of pre-emption
C16: from Medieval Latin praeemptiō, from praeemere to buy beforehand, from emere to buy
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The evidence is that this is not a response to an imminent threat, which the word pre-emption implies.
From BBC ● Feb. 28, 2026
This creates the type of uncertainty that suppresses the very innovation that pre-emption advocates claim to protect.
From Barron's ● Dec. 4, 2025
Tech industry executives are waiting to see whether Trump follows through on the executive order and whether the pre-emption concept gains traction in Congress.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 20, 2025
Under the agreements governing the block, Exxon may be entitled to a right of first refusal — known in industry jargon as pre-emption — that partners in the development share over any stake sold.
From New York Times ● Feb. 27, 2024
The more humane spirit of the modern code of nations seems disposed to reduce this right to a right of pre-emption, as against other European nations.
From The Oregon Territory Its History and Discovery by Twiss, Travers
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
