Meanings
comparative more pre-emptive · superlative most pre-emptive
- alternativeAlternative spelling of preemptive.
The GNR made a pre-emptive attack in 1865 when it submitted a Bill to build a line from Bourne to Sleaford, purely to block any developments by the GNR.
2024 June 12, Richard Foster, “Joint venture to boost connectivity”, in RAIL, number 1011, page 32
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectivedesigned or having the power to deter or prevent an anticipated situation or occurrence
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Cite this entry
pre-emptive. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pre-emptive
“pre-emptive.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pre-emptive. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pre-emptive,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pre-emptive.
Source: pre-emptive on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.