preempted
Americanadjective
-
(of land) occupied in order to establish a prior right to buy.
In 1860 the blacksmith arrived in Kansas to buy his preempted claim of 120 acres on Mission Creek.
-
acquired or appropriated ahead of others; taken for oneself.
The group of retired friends lunched together every day in a preempted room at the Exchange Club.
-
Government. being or relating to an area of oversight reserved by a particular level of government, especially an area that would otherwise be under the authority of a lower level of government.
Except in the federally preempted domain of warnings based on smoking and health, tobacco regulation is under state control.
-
replaced or set aside because of other priorities, reconsideration, changes in scheduling, etc..
The preempted programs were usually game shows or reruns of primetime sitcoms.
-
forestalled or prevented by advance action.
Knowledge acquired through a preempted attack may inform national response and help deter future attacks.
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of preempted
First recorded in 1860–70; preempt ( def. ) + -ed 2 ( def. ) for the adjective senses; preempt ( def. ) + -ed 1 ( def. ) for the verb sense
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.
Their resignations also preempted a push to expel the representatives.
From Salon • Apr. 21, 2026
It's unclear whether The Bachelorette, which was already filmed, is simply being preempted for a period of time or if it will never see the light of day.
From BBC • Mar. 21, 2026
This is despite being preempted in 23% of U.S. households, in markets where ABC affiliates are owned by Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Media Group, station chains that persist in refusing to air the show.
From Salon • Sep. 26, 2025
While Thursday’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” was preempted by a rerun of “Celebrity Family Feud,” continuing ABC’s indefinite suspension of the talk show, some of Kimmel’s late-night colleagues used their platform to sound off.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 18, 2025
Again as we discussed above, the crop’s rapid spread preempted any possible further attempts to domesticate its relatives, as well as to redomesticate its ancestor.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
