Definition of "preemptive" []

• Of, relating to, or characteristic of preemption. (adjective)
• Having or granted by the right of preemption. (adjective)
• Relating to or constituting a military strike made so as to gain the advantage when an enemy strike is believed to be imminent: a preemptive nuclear attack. (adjective)
• Undertaken or initiated to deter or prevent an anticipated, usually unpleasant situation or occurrence: The two companies organized a preemptive alliance against a possible takeover by another firm. (adjective)
• Having or marked by the power to preempt or take precedence: a preemptive business offer; preemptive authority. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The term preemptive gets bantered around a lot on thie subject of this war but preventive is more accurate, although its sounds a lot less P(ublic)R(elations)-correct."
• "No. I actually -- I have some celebrities who do what I call a preemptive strike like one time Alec Baldwin came up to me and whispered in my ear, I think you're hilarious."
• "Preventive war has been described as an important element of the Bush Doctrine, although the U.S. government read bushco doublespeak uses the term preemptive in a way which is partly consistent with international usage…"