pre-empt

pre·empt or pre-empt  (pr-mpt)

v. pre·empt·ed or pre-empt·ed, pre·empt·ing or pre-empt·ing, pre·empts or pre-empts

v.tr.

1. To appropriate, seize, or take for oneself before others. See Synonyms at appropriate.

2.

a. To take the place of; displace: A special news program preempted the scheduled shows.

b. To have precedence or predominance over: Discussion of the water shortage will preempt the other topics on this week's agenda.

3. To gain possession of by prior right or opportunity, especially to settle on (public land) so as to obtain the right to buy before others.

v.intr. Games

To make a preemptive bid in bridge.

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[Back-formation from preemption.]

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pre·emptor (-mptôr) n.

pre·empto·ry (-mpt-r) adj.

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pre-empt [prɪˈɛmpt]

vb

1. (tr) to acquire in advance of or to the exclusion of others; appropriate

2. (Law) (tr) Chiefly US to occupy (public land) in order to acquire a prior right to purchase

3. (Group Games / Bridge) (intr) Bridge to make a high opening bid, often on a weak hand, to shut out opposition bidding

pre-emptor  n

pre-emptory  adj

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

pre-empt - a high bid that is intended to prevent the opposing players from bidding preempt, preemptive bid bidding, bid - (bridge) the number of tricks a bridge player is willing to contract to make

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pre-empt

verb forestall, anticipate, prevent, steal a march on, get in before He pre-empted any decision to sack him

Translations

pre-empt [priːˈempt] VT

1. [+ person, attack, opposition] → adelantarse a, anticiparse a
we found they had pre-empted us in buying it → encontramos que se nos habían adelantado a comprarlo
I did it to pre-empt any family arguments → lo hice para evitar discusiones familiares

2. (esp US) [+ public land] ocupar para ejercer la opción de compra prioritaria

pre-empt [priˈɛmpt] preempt (US) vt

(= prevent) [+ pain, violence, incident] → prévenir

(= anticipate) [+ decision, move, plan] → devancer, anticiper

(LAW) [+ property] → préempter

pre-empt

vt → zuvorkommen (+dat); (Bridge) seinen Gegenspielern durch eine schwer zu überbietende Ansage zuvorkommen his decision to leave was pre-empted by his dismissal → die Entlassung kam seinem Entschluss wegzugehen zuvor

pre-empt [ˌpriːˈɛmpt] vt → acquistare per diritto di prelazione (fig) → anticipare