pre-emptive

British

/ prɪˈɛmptɪv /

adjective

of, involving, or capable of pre-emption
bridge (of a high bid) made to shut out opposition bidding
military designed to reduce or destroy an enemy's attacking strength before it can use it

a pre-emptive strike

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

pre-emptively adverb

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.

Way-marked pistes are generally protected by pre-emptive avalanche blasting, and their snow is flattened and compacted to further reduce the risk.

From BBC

“The odds of a pre-emptive Iranian strike are near zero,” Vaez said.

From The Wall Street Journal

Thursday’s decision by the BSP was predicted by all 12 economists polled by The Wall Street Journal, in large part as a pre-emptive move to cushion the economy against the fallout from a corruption scandal.

From The Wall Street Journal

In July, pre-emptive vaccination permission brought Northern Ireland into line with the rest of the UK.

From BBC

“Whether today’s move was pre-emptive and designed to neutralize an activist attack is a question best put to Folliard and his advisors,” added Bilson.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023