prebuttal

American

[pri-buht-l, pree-] / prɪˈbʌt l, pri- /

noun

an argument constructed in anticipation of a criticism.

The alderman began his speech with a question-answer style prebuttal.

prebuttal British

/ priːˈbʌtəl /

noun

informal a prepared response to an anticipated criticism

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of prebuttal

First recorded in 1980–85; pre- + (re)buttal

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.

See Examples For:

prebuttal

In a prebuttal video posted across his social media, Brand said he was about to face “very serious allegations that I absolutely refute,” without detailing them.

From New York Times ● Nov. 13, 2023

Nunes, who had read Hill’s written testimony, delivered a prebuttal before she delivered it.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 21, 2019

“The White House fully cooperated with the Special Counsel’s investigation, providing unfettered access to campaign and White House documents,” he said in his prebuttal press conference.

From The Guardian ● Apr. 18, 2019

Sen. Kamala Harris, fresh off her formidable campaign rollout, got things started with a live-streamed prebuttal a little more than an hour before Trump walked into the lower chamber.

From Slate ● Feb. 6, 2019

On Tuesday morning, Schumer took the unusual step of delivering a prebuttal to Trump’s speech from the floor of the Senate.

From The New Yorker ● Feb. 6, 2019

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023