preemptive

adjective

pre·​emp·​tive prē-ˈem(p)-tiv 

1

a

: of or relating to preemption

b

: having power to preempt

2

of a bid in bridge : higher than necessary and intended to shut out bids by the opponents

3

: giving a stockholder first option to purchase new stock in an amount proportionate to his existing holdings

4

: marked by the seizing of the initiative : initiated by oneself

a preemptive attack

preemptively adverb

Examples of preemptive in a Sentence

The country took preemptive action against the perceived enemy.

a preemptive attack by the army

Recent Examples on the Web

The ‘detractors’ Anna Moneymaker – Getty Images The boisterous, bellicose Howard Lutnick was asked to be Secretary of Commerce as a sort of preemptive consolation prize after a bout of dramatic infighting for Treasury Secretary. —Chloe Berger, Fortune, 27 Nov. 2024

For decades, Israel has refrained from adopting a policy of preemptive warfare. —Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2024

What does this mean for future planning and preemptive thinking? —Shavonnah Schreiber, Forbes, 22 Nov. 2024

If President Trump directs his administration to ignore that injunction, and issues preemptive pardons to any member of his administration involved in implementing that permanently enjoined policy, that will be the death of the separation of powers enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. —Letters To The Editor, Orlando Sentinel, 19 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1855, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Legal Definition

preemptive

adjective

pre·​emp·​tive prē-ˈemp-tiv 

: of or relating to preemption