pretermit
Americanverb (used with object)
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to let pass without notice; disregard.
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to leave undone; neglect; omit.
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to suspend or interrupt.
The government temporarily pretermitted its repayments of foreign aid.
verb
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to overlook intentionally; disregard
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to fail to do; neglect; omit
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of pretermit
1505–15; < Latin praetermittere to let pass, equivalent to praeter- preter- + mittere to let go, send
Explanation
To pretermit is to overlook or omit something. In an effort to make a family dinner pleasant, your parents might pretermit any discussions of sensitive or controversial issues that might lead to arguments. The verb pretermit is often used in a legal context, both for things that are accidentally left out and for those deliberately omitted. A person who neglects to update their will after having another child inadvertently pretermits that child from the will. A judge who refuses to consider a lawyer's motion in court because it was filed past the deadline pretermits the motion. Pretermit is from the Latin praetermittere and its roots, praeter, "past," and mittere, "to send."
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.
See Examples For:
As it is so cold, I think you may pass the word to pretermit the rounds to-night—save two.
From The Long Night by Stanley John Weyman
Still the Inquisition did not entirely pretermit its labors.
From A History of The Inquisition of The Middle Ages; volume II by Henry Charles Lea
But as I only stayed eight days in this place, and knew not a syllable of the language, perhaps it is as well to pretermit any disquisitions about the spirit of the people.
From From Cornhill to Grand Cairo by William Makepeace Thackeray
He calmly said that no such demonstrations could induce him to add to or withhold a single syllable of what he designed to say, or to pretermit a single act he had designed to do.
From Edmond Dantès by Edmund Flagg
Then sayd the Accuser: Thou hast preached, sayd, and openly taught diuers and sundry other great errours and abhominable heresies agaynst all the vij. sacraments, which for shortnes of tyme I pretermit and ouer pass.
From The Works of John Knox, Vol. 1 (of 6) by David Laing
“The law ensures that the pretermitted heir is treated fairly and receives a portion of the estate as if there was no will in place,” the firm says.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2025
Anselme authorise to absolue Richard the prior of Elie, vpon his satisfaction pretermitted, and to restore him to the gouernement of the priorie of Elie, if the king thought it conuenient.
From Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland (2 of 6): England (3 of 12) Henrie I. by Raphael Holinshed
The monotonous strokes of an axe were suddenly pretermitted, and somewhere from the depths of the close-set pines a voice answered "Flip."
From Flip, a California romance by Bret Harte
I had no hold upon the boy, and pretermitted my design till I should have laid court to him and engaged his interest.
From The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 20 (of 25) by Robert Louis Stevenson
The liberty of the subject lies only in such things as the sovereign has pretermitted, for he hath power to regulate all, even life and death, at his own will.
From The World's Greatest Books — Volume 14 — Philosophy and Economics by Sir John Alexander Hammerton
Daughters performed the said offices to their fathers, and sisters to their brothers; not pretermitting those who did not neglect their broken-pated bachelors to whom they paid equal attention.
From The Ned M'Keown Stories Traits And Stories Of The Irish Peasantry, The Works of William Carleton, Volume Three by William Carleton
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