præemption

Noun

preemption (countable and uncountable, plural preemptions)

1. The purchase of something before it is offered for sale to others.
2. The purchase of public land by the occupant.
3. The temporary interruption of a task without its cooperation and with the intention of resuming it at a later time.
4. The supersession of a conflicting law from a lower jurisdiction by an overlapping law from a higher jurisdiction.

   Synonyms:

   occupancy

See all 5 meanings of preemption