今天我们要学的词是 preempt.

preempt 的意思是抢先，先发制人。 Violence was largely averted in Portland, Oregon, where police established concrete barriers, closed streets and bridges to preempt clashes between anti-fascist groups and counter-protesters. 俄勒冈州波特兰市警方为预先防范反法西斯团体和反抗议者之间发生冲突而设立水泥路障，封锁街道和桥梁，基本上避免了暴力发生。

preempt 的形容词形式是preemptive，较常用。The recent missile tests by North Korea show potential weapons that are designed to avoid any preemptive strikes that would destroy them on their launch pads, experts said. 专家表示，朝鲜最近进行的导弹试射展示了有可能避免任何将导弹摧毁在发射台上的先发制人打击而设计的武器。