Preemption - Definition

n 1: the judicial principle asserting the supremacy of federal
over state legislation on the same subject [syn:
preemption, pre-emption]
2: the right of a government to seize or appropriate something
(as property) [syn: preemption, pre-emption]
3: the right to purchase something in advance of others [syn:
preemption, pre-emption]
4: a prior appropriation of something; "the preemption of
bandwidth by commercial interests" [syn: preemption, pre-
emption]