preseason

American  

[pree-see-zuhn] / ˈpriˌsi zən /

noun

1. a period before the season, especially the period of time in organized sports when athletes train and practice for the regular season: Deer hunters set aside time in the preseason to repair and maintain their stands, set trail cameras, and clear branches or brush from shooting lanes.

   As a professional athlete, I just try not to get injured in the preseason.

   Deer hunters set aside time in the preseason to repair and maintain their stands, set trail cameras, and clear branches or brush from shooting lanes.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or occurring in the preseason: The resort offers discounted preseason ski passes in November.

   Some of the coaching staff was replaced after an embarrassing preseason loss to the weakest team in the league.

   The resort offers discounted preseason ski passes in November.

verb (used with object)

1. to season (food) with condiments, spices, herbs, or the like before it is packaged or cooked.

   Preseason the roast with a teaspoon of salt per pound of meat several hours before grilling it.

preseason British  

/ ˈpriːˌsiːzən /

noun

1. 1. the period immediately before the official season for a particular sport begins

   2. ( as modifier )

      a series of preseason friendly matches

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Etymology

Origin of preseason

An Americanism dating back to 1890–95; pre- ( def. ) + season ( def. )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

preseason

The Times’ preseason top 25 high school football rankings for 2026:

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026

Teams can play up to six preseason games.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

This country would still drop anything to watch a preseason NFL game.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

Almost nobody predicted this year’s matchup back in the preseason, when Wembanyama hadn’t yet reached the playoffs and the Knicks’ Finals drought was old enough to rent a car.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 2026

I stuck around and claimed I wanted to get my head in the space, claimed I had some preseason ritual, which they all bought, filtering out one by one.

From "Tradition" by Brendan Kiely