Preempted

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To act in advance to prevent or forestall something from happening ; to acquire or appropriate an item or right before others can do so
2. To intervene ahead of time to stop or delay another event or action ; to claim or seize something before other people have the chance
3. To take prior steps that bypass or replace a usual process or occurrence ; to obtain exclusive rights or ownership ahead of competitors

Etymology: "Preempted" is the past tense and past participle of "preempt," which was formed by back-formation from "preemption." The noun "preemption" came first, and English speakers later reshaped it into a verb by removing what they took to be its ending, so the verb is in a sense the younger, derived form. The noun itself goes back to the Latin "praemptio," a purchase made in advance, built from "prae" (before) and "emere" (to buy). That original sense of buying before others can is still preserved in the second meaning of the verb, which covers acquiring something or some right ahead of rivals. The first meaning, acting to forestall an event, grew out of the same idea of getting in first.

Synonyms: prevented, intercepted

Antonyms: allowed, permitted