preempt
or pre-empt
to occupy (land) in order to establish a prior right to buy.
to acquire or appropriate before someone else; take for oneself; arrogate: a political issue preempted by the opposition party.
Bridge. to make a preemptive bid.
Bridge. a preemptive bid.
Origin of preempt
1Other words for preempt
Other words from preempt
- pre·emp·ti·ble [pree-emp-tuh-buhl], /priˈɛmp tə bəl/, adjective
- pre·emp·tor [pree-emp-tawr, -ter], /priˈɛmp tɔr, -tər/, noun
- pre·emp·to·ry [pree-emp-tuh-ree], /priˈɛmp tə ri/, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use preempt in a sentence
Venus is like an angel on your shoulder, preempting any rash moves.
“I was there,” he wrote on his blog, preempting the next hit.
She stepped through her curtain and said gaily: "You're preempting my privilege, Philip."
Claire | Leslie Burton BladesHe called up both women, alleging a visit to strike headquarters to one, and preempting the other for the afternoon.
Mountain | Clement WoodI felt like going into the Northwest and preempting a homestead.
One Way Out | William Carleton
British Dictionary definitions for pre-empt
/ (prɪˈɛmpt) /
(tr) to acquire in advance of or to the exclusion of others; appropriate
(tr) mainly US to occupy (public land) in order to acquire a prior right to purchase
(intr) bridge to make a high opening bid, often on a weak hand, to shut out opposition bidding
Derived forms of pre-empt
- pre-emptor, noun
- pre-emptory, adjective
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
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