Definition of "pre-empt" [pre-empt]

• Alternative spelling of preempt. (verb)

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• "The clampdown shows "the government is very nervous, and their reaction is to pre-empt social discontent merging with the mobility of activists and the power of the Internet, as happened in the Middle East," says Wang Songlian, a researcher for China Human Rights Defenders."
• "Qatar, a controversial choice for the World Cup because of fan objections to some of its cultural mores, a lack of a soccer tradition and blistering summer temperatures, has sought to pre-empt a debate about alcohol by announcing that it would create fan zones where alcohol can be consumed."
• "Before the magazine even hits newsstands, Pitt has released a statement to try to pre-empt the controversy, saying that he was taken out of context, and that his career was truly the issue."