1. A prior appropriation of something
   "the preemption of bandwidth by commercial interests";
   - pre-emption
    
2. The right to purchase something in advance of others
   "The longtime tenant had preemption rights on the apartment";
   - pre-emption
    
3. The right of a government to seize or appropriate something (as property)
   "The government exercised its right of preemption to acquire the land for public use";
   - pre-emption
    
4. (law) the judicial principle asserting the supremacy of federal over state legislation on the same subject
   "The court's ruling was based on the principle of preemption";
   - pre-emption

Derived forms: pre-emptions, preemptions

Type of: appropriation, judicial doctrine, judicial principle, legal principle, legal right, right

Encyclopedia: Preemption, Illinois