Preempt

//ˌpɹiːˈɛmpt// noun, verb

noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A preemptive bid.
  2. 2
    a high bid that is intended to prevent the opposing players from bidding wordnet
Verb
  1. 1
    To appropriate first. transitive

    "He preempted that hill to be its king."

  2. 2
    make a preemptive bid in the game of bridge wordnet
  3. 3
    To displace or take the place of (by having higher precedence, etc). transitive

    "Floppy disks were preempted by CDs."

  4. 4
    acquire for oneself before others can do so wordnet
  5. 5
    To prevent or beat to the punch, to forestall an expected occurrence by acting first. transitive

    "By his statement, the Secretary-General had effectively preempted the usual frustrating debates over questions of fact and law."

Show 4 more definitions
  1. 6
    gain possession of by prior right or opportunity, especially so as to obtain the right to buy (land) wordnet
  2. 7
    To secure (land, etc.) by the right of preemption (purchasing before others, e.g. land because one already occupies it). transitive
  3. 8
    take the place of or have precedence over wordnet
  4. 9
    To make a preemptive bid at bridge. intransitive

Synonyms

All synonyms
accroachadoptannexanticipateappropriatearrogate

Example

More examples

"He preempted that hill to be its king."

Etymology

Back-formation from preemption.

More for "preempt"

SynonymsSentencesPronunciationTranslate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciationBrowse writing guides

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.