pre-emption

pre·emp·tion or pre-emp·tion  (pr-mpshn)

n.

1.

a. The right to purchase something before others, especially the right to purchase public land that is granted to one who has settled on that land.

b. A purchase made by such a right.

2. Prior seizure of, appropriation of, or claim to something, such as property.

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[pre- + Latin mpti, mptin-, buying (from mptus, past participle of Latin emere, to buy; see em- in Indo-European roots).]

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pre-emption

Noun

Law the purchase of or right to buy property in advance of others [Medieval Latin praeemere to buy beforehand]

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	pre-emption - the judicial principle asserting the supremacy of federal over state legislation on the same subject preemption judicial doctrine, judicial principle, legal principle - (law) a principle underlying the formulation of jurisprudence law, jurisprudence - the collection of rules imposed by authority; "civilization presupposes respect for the law"; "the great problem for jurisprudence to allow freedom while enforcing order"
	2.	pre-emption - the right of a government to seize or appropriate something (as property) preemption legal right - a right based in law
	3.	pre-emption - the right to purchase something in advance of others preemption right - an abstract idea of that which is due to a person or governmental body by law or tradition or nature; "they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights"; "Certain rights can never be granted to the government but must be kept in the hands of the people"- Eleanor Roosevelt; "a right is not something that somebody gives you; it is something that nobody can take away" preemptive right - the right granting to shareholders the first opportunity to buy a new issue of stock; provides protection against dilution of the shareholder's ownership interest subscription right - the right of a shareholder in a company to subscribe to shares of a new issue of common stock before it is offered to the public
	4.	pre-emption - a prior appropriation of something; "the preemption of bandwidth by commercial interests" preemption appropriation - a deliberate act of acquisition of something, often without the permission of the owner; "the necessary funds were obtained by the government's appropriation of the company's operating unit"; "a person's appropriation of property belonging to another is dishonest"