preemptive
Americanadjective
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of or relating to preemption.
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taken as a measure against something possible, anticipated, or feared; preventive; deterrent.
a preemptive tactic against a ruthless business rival.
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preempting or possessing the power to preempt; appropriative; privileged.
a commander's preemptive authority.
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Bridge. pertaining to, involving, or noting an opening bid or an overcall in a suit that is at an unnecessarily high level and that is essentially a defensive maneuver designed to make communication between one's opponents more difficult.
a preemptive bid; to give a preemptive response.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of preemptive
Explanation
A preemptive action is made to keep some other action from being taken. Before you could be accused of eating the whole cake, you decided to make a preemptive apology, which was met with awkward silence. Tired of being disturbed by your roommate's loud music, your preemptive strike was to crank up your favorite opera as soon as you arrived home. Unfortunately, he'd already made a preemptive strike of his own by borrowing your stereo. Don't confuse preemptive with peremptory, a word meaning “arrogant.” You don't have to be arrogant to make a preemptive move, just cautious.
Vocabulary lists containing preemptive
Darius the Great Is Not Okay
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The Fault in Our Stars
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The Field Guide to the North American Teenager
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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.
Bank Indonesia expects inflation to stay within the 1.5%-3.5% target in 2026-2027 and will strengthen its preemptive monetary policy response while coordinating with the government to keep prices under control.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026
Israeli officials described it as a preemptive attack to “remove threats to the State of Israel.”
From Salon • Mar. 4, 2026
Mark Taylor, former head of a Cambodia-based anti-trafficking NGO, said the "preemptive shifting of scam centre resources", including workers, equipment and managers, had been seen ahead of law enforcement sweeps.
From Barron's • Jan. 16, 2026
“But the preemptive strike in the whole thing was Mike and the walk, which was huge. He set the whole table for us.”
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 28, 2025
Mama had preemptive tears in her eyes when she took it, peeled back the tape, and opened up the paper, careful not to tear the wrapping.
From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser
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.
