The government pre-empted the strike by offering a pay raise first.

pre-empted 是动词 pre-empt 的过去式形式。pre-empt 由前缀 pre-（表示"在...之前"）和动词 empt（来自拉丁语 emere，意为"拿取"）组成，字面意思是"提前获取/采取行动"。这个词特指"通过先发行动来阻止某事发生"，即"先发制人"。