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
New governance rules approved on Thursday envisage a lock-up period of five years and mechanisms, including pre-emption rights, to ensure that control of Edizione remains in the hands of the Benettons through the generational transition.
From Reuters • Jan. 13, 2022
The pre-emption and homestead laws were passed for the benefit of the actual settlers of the country.
From Monopolies and the People by Cloud, D. C.
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.
