preseason

noun

pre·​sea·​son ˌprē-ˈsē-zᵊn 

ˈprē-ˌsē-zᵊn

plural preseasons

: a period of time immediately preceding a season

tourists who visit during the preseason

especially : a training period preceding a sport's regular season in which teams compete in unofficial games

The preseason starts in two weeks.

performed well in (the) preseason

Quarterback John Friesz was lost for the year in the preseason to knee surgery.

—Paul Zimmerman

Dennis Rodman's mysterious boycott finally ended on Monday when he arrived for practice for the first time since the start of preseason.

—Jack McCallum

preseason adjective

preseason football

preseason training

the preseason opener/finale

preseason rankings/polls

the preseason favorite

Examples of preseason in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Ducharme played seven minutes in Golden State’s 78-76 preseason win over the Seattle Storm on Saturday, and scored the first points of her professional career early in the fourth quarter. —Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 28 Apr. 2026

Atlanta Dream head coach Karl Smesko addresses players during practice Monday, April 27, ahead of the team's first preseason game against the Chicago Sky. —Christopher Harris, CBS News, 28 Apr. 2026

Minnesota took the win 88-79 in its second preseason game of the season. —Pj Green april 28, Kansas City Star, 28 Apr. 2026

The evaluation of Payton will come during training camp and preseason, and that’s when the Eagles will have a decision to make. —Zach Berman, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1914, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for preseason

• milesian
• partizan
• postseason
• unreason
• reason
• season
• seizin
• treason