Word
preemptive
Phoneticspre·emp·tive
/pɹiˈɛmptɪv/
Definition
adj. done before something bad happens to stop it. You use this when you take action early to prevent a problem.
adj. done in advance of an expected event to prevent it or reduce its impact. Often used in legal, military, or strategic contexts to describe actions taken before a threat materializes.
Examples
“The company took preemptive measures to protect its data.”
“The central bank raised interest rates preemptively to prevent the economy from overheating before the next quarter.”
“By filing the lawsuit preemptively, the firm aimed to establish legal precedent that would shield its future operations from similar regulatory challenges.”
Examples
simple
“The company took preemptive measures to protect its data.”
contextual
“The central bank raised interest rates preemptively to prevent the economy from overheating before the next quarter.”
complex
“By filing the lawsuit preemptively, the firm aimed to establish legal precedent that would shield its future operations from similar regulatory challenges.”
Real-World Examples
“And even with an involved father, mothers continue to carry the invisible mental load of the family , an unseen burden of data, obligations and preemptive planning tasks.” “Because he gave so many preemptive pardons, Joe Biden ’s percentage was lower, at around 68%, but still well over half.” Etymology
From preempt + -ive.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/preemptive