Meaning & use
pre-vetted
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivebefore a noun
Already checked for quality, reliability or suitability before being offered to you or put forward for a decision.
Grammar: Often placed before a noun: pre-vetted candidates; after a verb it also works: the suppliers were pre-vetted.
Patterns
- pre-vetted by someone
The agency sends only pre-vetted candidates, so every interview is with someone who has passed a background check.
All the contractors on the platform are pre-vetted for licenses and insurance.
Using a pre-vetted list of suppliers kept the purchasing team out of trouble.
verbtransitive
Past tense or past participle of pre-vet: to check someone or something carefully in advance, before an official decision.
Grammar: Takes an object: the committee pre-vetted the nominees.
Patterns
- pre-vet someone
- pre-vet something for something
The recruiter pre-vetted every applicant before sending the shortlist to the manager.
Our legal team pre-vetted the advertisements, which made launch day far smoother.
Word forms
| base | pre-vet |
|---|---|
| third person singular | pre-vets |
| -ing form | pre-vetting |
Common combinations
- pre-vetted candidates
- The firm hands clients a short list of pre-vetted candidates.
- pre-vetted vendors
- Only pre-vetted vendors may bid on the contract.
- pre-vetted list
- Choose a plumber from the pre-vetted list on the council website.
- thoroughly pre-vetted
- The volunteers were thoroughly pre-vetted before working with children.
- pre-vetted by
- Each profile is pre-vetted by a member of the review team.
Synonyms and how they differ
- screened
- It is the plainer word and works for people, bags or calls, while pre-vetted stresses that the check happened earlier and by someone else.
- approved
- Approved states only the result, but pre-vetted also tells you a checking process took place first.
- vetted
- It means the same checking without the idea of timing; pre-vetted adds emphasis that this was done before you came in.
- pre-screened
- It is almost interchangeable but sounds more like a quick filter, whereas pre-vetted suggests a deeper background check.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: pre-vetted or pre-approved?
pre-vetted vs pre-approved
Pre-approved means permission or credit has been granted in advance, while pre-vetted only means the checking was done, with no guarantee of approval.
Practice
The marketplace lists only ___ freelancers, meaning each one has already passed an identity and skills check.
Choose one answer.
Freelancers who have already been checked are pre-vetted. Pre-paid describes money paid early and does not describe a checking process.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pre-vetted”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.