preclearance

P3R1E1C3L1E1A1R1A1N1C3E1

noun

A procedure to arrange for clearing customs or immigration in advance.

“The customs service announced new preclearance regulations last week.”

OriginEnglish clearance ← Middle English pre- ← Latin prae- →
UncommonScrabble 18
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Meanings

nounpreclearance (countable and uncountable, plural preclearances)

plural preclearances

  1. countableuncountableA procedure to arrange for clearing customs or immigration in advance.

    The customs service announced new preclearance regulations last week.

  2. UScountableuncountablelawAdvance approval by a federal court or the Department of Justice for changes to voting regulations in certain states under the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

    The great state of Alabama believes that preclearance is a relic of the past.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*per-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*preh₂-
  3. Proto-Indo-European*préh₂i?
  4. Proto-Italic*prai
  5. Proto-Italic*prai-
  6. Latinprae-
  7. Middle Englishpre-
  8. Englishpre-
  9. Englishclearance
  10. Englishpreclearance

From pre- + clearance.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

preclearance. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/preclearance

MLA

“preclearance.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/preclearance. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “preclearance,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/preclearance.

Source: preclearance on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.