preclearance
Americannoun
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approval, authorization, or permission granted in advance.
Under company procedures, certain high-ranking executives are only allowed to sell shares after obtaining preclearance.
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Transportation. customs, security, or immigration authorization granted in advance for passengers or goods traveling or moving across borders (often used attributively).
The preclearance facility at Terminal 2 allows outbound passengers to undertake all U.S. immigration, customs, and agriculture inspections prior to departure.
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Law. under the U.S. Voting Rights Act, approval from the Justice Department or federal courts for changes to voting laws, processes, or districts (often used attributively).
In order to prevent changes that have a discriminatory purpose or effect, certain jurisdictions are required to obtain preclearance before implementing new voting practices.
Etymology
Origin of preclearance
First recorded in 1925–30; pre- ( def. ) + clearance ( def. )
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.
It explicitly prohibits interpreting the executive order as mandating licensing or preclearance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026
While these cases consume a lot of resources and are not nearly as encompassing as preclearance was, they have been effective.
From Slate ● May 1, 2026
After speaking with construction workers, two of Pirro’s deputies were advised they couldn’t access the site without preclearance, and they were given the contact information for the Fed’s legal staff.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 14, 2026
The law required jurisdictions with large disparities in black and white voter registration and participation to get approval from the Department of Justice for any voting procedure changes, or "preclearance."
From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2023
The law included ways for jurisdictions to exit the preclearance requirement after demonstrating specific improvements, and dozens had over the years.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 6, 2023
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.
