pre-empt
Britishverb
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(tr) to acquire in advance of or to the exclusion of others; appropriate
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(tr) to occupy (public land) in order to acquire a prior right to purchase
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(intr) bridge to make a high opening bid, often on a weak hand, to shut out opposition bidding
Other Word Forms
Vocabulary lists containing pre-empt
2014 Vocabulary Video Contest (M-Z)
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Vocabulary Video Contest (2013) - List 3
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Vocab Video Contest (2016) - List 5
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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.
Their capital budgets allow them to absorb, hedge or pre-empt energy-cost inflation in ways smaller companies cannot.
From MarketWatch • May 11, 2026
“Nobody was intending to pre-empt the New Jersey state gaming commission,” he says.
From Barron's • Apr. 15, 2026
The next day, Einhorn said she wanted to acquire world rights and pre-empt an auction.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 8, 2025
"While the university cannot pre-empt the decision by its council over the future of these courses, it is important it does not continue to recruit to courses which are proposed for closure."
From BBC • Nov. 6, 2025
I think I’ll act upon Mr. Jones’s suggestion, and sell some of the timber across the river, and pre-empt immediately.
From The Cabin on the Prairie by Pearson, C. H. (Charles Henry)
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.
