- a variation of preemptive.
pre-emptive
Britishadjective
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of, involving, or capable of pre-emption
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bridge (of a high bid) made to shut out opposition bidding
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military designed to reduce or destroy an enemy's attacking strength before it can use it
a pre-emptive strike
Other Word Forms
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.
Early warning systems have been strengthened and deployment of pre-emptive medical assistance, but the strength of this particular event has raised serious concerns particularly for vulnerable groups.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
Rather than await the parliamentary inquiry’s findings, Farage took pre-emptive action.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
The European Central Bank’s decision to raise its key interest rate this month was based on the bank’s projections rather than a pre-emptive act to manage risks of inflation rising uncontrollably, President Christine Lagarde said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
While Buffett would stay out of the business unless he felt companies weren’t performing to par, Abel’s style is to take pre-emptive action to make his expectations clear, people familiar with Berkshire’s businesses said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 18, 2026
The pre-emptive right to the remainder was bought by Robert Morris in the spring of 1791.
From An Account of Sa-Go-Ye-Wat-Ha, or Red Jacket, and His People, 1750-1830 by John Niles Hubbard
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
