pre-empt

Verb

preempt (third-person singular simple present preempts, present participle preempting, simple past and past participle preempted)

1. (transitive) To appropriate first.
   • He preempted that hill to be its king.
2. (transitive) To displace or take the place of (by having higher precedence, etc).
   • Floppy disks were preempted by CDs.
3. (transitive) To prevent or beat to the punch, to forestall an expected occurrence by acting first.
   • By his statement, the Secretary-General had effectively preempted the usual frustrating debates over questions of fact and law.1985, Thomas M. Franck, Nation Against Nation: What Happened to the U.N. Dream and What the U.S. Can Do About It, Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 35

   Synonyms:

   ninja

4. (transitive) To secure (land, etc.) by the right of preemption (purchasing before others, e.g. land because one already occupies it).
5. (intransitive) To make a preemptive bid at bridge.

See all 7 meanings of preempt