preempt

verb

pre·​empt prē-ˈem(p)t 

preempted; preempting; preempts

transitive verb

1

: to acquire (something, such as land) by preemption

2

: to seize upon to the exclusion of others : take for oneself

the movement was then preempted by a lunatic fringe

3

a

: to replace with something considered to be of greater value or priority : take precedence over

the program did not appear, having been preempted by a baseball game

—Robert MacNeil

b

law : to replace or supersede (a law) or bar (an action) by the doctrine of preemption

In so doing, the Court held that Congress did not intend to preempt common law contract claims.

—Charas v. Trans World Airlines, Inc., 160 F.3d 1259 (1998)

4

: to gain a commanding or preeminent place in

5

: to prevent from happening or taking place : forestall, preclude

intransitive verb

: to make a preemptive bid in bridge

preemptor

prē-ˈem(p)-tər 

noun

Synonyms

• appropriate
• arrogate
• commandeer
• convert
• expropriate
• pirate
• press
• seize
• take over
• usurp

Examples of preempt in a Sentence

The contract preempts lawsuits by the company's clients.

The state law was preempted by a federal law.

The President's speech preempted regular programming.

Recent Examples on the Web

Sanders tried to preempt a shift in blame Drug companies and their allies are fond of using these kinds of hearings to call PBMs the real culprit for patients struggling to afford medicines. —Peter Sullivan, Axios, 24 Sep. 2024

Having a clean slate, city master planners can preempt existing city challenges and architect technology and infrastructure from the onset, creating a foundation through implementation, designing for commerce, merchants, citizens and services prior to beginning construction. —John Lockhart, Forbes, 11 Sep. 2024

Democrats need to preempt Trump’s anti-immigrant excesses, including mass deportations, by setting out credible plans for securing the border, creating an orderly system to process legal immigration, and laying out a pathway to resolving the status of millions of undocumented migrants. —Charles Kupchan, Foreign Affairs, 9 Sep. 2024

Combs’ team responded to the former model’s complaint last week, seeking a dismissal on the grounds that her claim is time-barred and preempted by state law. —Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

back-formation from preemption

First Known Use

1850, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

preempt

verb

pre·​empt prē-ˈem(p)t 

1

a

: to settle upon (as public land) with the right to purchase before others

b

: to take by such a right

2

: to take before someone else can : appropriate

preempt a seat at the stadium

3

: to take the place of

the president's speech preempted the regular program

preemption

-ˈem(p)-shən

noun

preemptive

-ˈem(p)-tiv

adjective

preemptor

-tər 

noun

Legal Definition

preempt

transitive verb

pre·​empt prē-ˈempt 

1

a

: to acquire (land) by preemption

b

: to seize upon to the exclusion of others : take for oneself

a senior user of a trademark could not preempt use of the mark in remote geographical markets

—Mesa Springs Enterprises v. Cutco Indus., 736 P.2d 1251 (1986)

2

a

: to replace or supersede (a law) by preemption

such state laws are not preempted by the federal Energy Reorganization Act of 1974

—National Law Journal

b

: to preclude or bar (an action) by preemption

federal airline deregulation does not preempt claims under state contract law

—National Law Journal