MEANING
1. To act in advance to prevent, forestall, or take priority over a possible action.
2. To acquire or reserve through a right or priority of first claim.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- preempt an objection
- preempt a response
On the page
He preempted the objection by producing the earlier letter.
She refused to let his apology preempt the questions still unanswered.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- preempt
- Past tense
- preempted
- Past participle
- preempted
- Present participle
- preempting
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- preempt
- Present continuous
- am/is/are preempting
- Present perfect
- have/has preempted
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been preempting
- Past
- preempted
- Past continuous
- was/were preempting
- Past perfect
- had preempted
- Past perfect continuous
- had been preempting
- Future
- will preempt
- Future continuous
- will be preempting
- Future perfect
- will have preempted
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been preempting
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: literary. Forms: preempt; preempts; preempted; preempted; preempting Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Third-person singular: preempts.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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