veto
Americannoun
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vetoes
plural
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the power or right vested in one branch of a government to cancel or postpone the decisions, enactments, etc., of another branch, especially the right of a president, governor, or other chief executive to reject bills passed by the legislature.
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the exercise of this right.
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Also called veto message. a document exercising such right and setting forth the reasons for such action.
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a nonconcurring vote by which one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council can overrule the actions or decisions of the meeting on matters other than procedural.
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an emphatic prohibition of any sort.
verb (used with object)
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vetoes,
present (3rd person singular)
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vetoed,
past participle, past
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vetoing
present participle
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to reject (a proposed bill or enactment) by exercising a veto.
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to prohibit emphatically.
noun
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the power to prevent legislation or action proposed by others; prohibition
the presidential veto
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the exercise of this power
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Also called: veto message. government a document containing the reasons why a chief executive has vetoed a measure
verb
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to refuse consent to (a proposal, esp a government bill)
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to prohibit, ban, or forbid
her parents vetoed her trip
Usage
What does veto mean? A veto is the right of one branch of government to reject or prohibit a decision of another branch. It’s also called veto power. The most well-known type of veto is the ability of the President of the United States to veto legislation that passes both houses of Congress. When a president vetoes legislation, the legislation goes back to Congress, which can override the veto, rewrite the legislation so that the president signs it, or abandon the legislation. A veto is also an instance of this right, as in The president’s veto of the new law was unexpected and shocked Congress. A veto is also the document that spells out a veto and the reasons for it. This document is also called a veto message. Within the United Nations, a veto is a vote by one of the permanent members of the Security Council that differs from the other members’ votes. For example, if four of the five votes is a yay vote, the veto is a nay vote. Outside of politics, a veto is a strong rejection of any sort. For example, you might propose that your family get a dog. If your parents put a veto on your proposal, they reject the idea of getting a dog. To veto is to reject a decision by exercising veto power, as in Maya’s grandmother vetoed the idea of sharing family recipes on social media. Example: Although the president vetoed the bill, there were enough votes in Congress to pass it anyway.
Discover More
Originally intended to prevent Congress from passing unconstitutional laws, the veto is now used by the president as a powerful bargaining tool, especially when his objectives conflict with majority sentiment in Congress. (See also checks and balances.)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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vetosimple
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vetoessimple
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have vetoedperfect
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has vetoedperfect
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am vetoingprogressive
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are vetoingprogressive
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is vetoingprogressive
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have been vetoingperfect progressive
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has been vetoingperfect progressive
Past
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vetoedsimple
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had vetoedperfect
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was vetoingprogressive
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were vetoingprogressive
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had been vetoingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of veto
First recorded in 1620–30, veto is from the Latin word vetō I forbid
Explanation
A veto is a no vote that blocks a decision. The President can veto some bills that pass his desk. A veto is a very official way of saying "No!" Vetoes block or forbid something, and the word is also used more loosely. The President of the United States can veto Senators who oppose his ideas, but if he tries to veto his daughter from joining the swim team, he might encounter his fiercest opponent yet. If you strongly disagree with your friends' choice of a movie, you could say, "I have to veto that." Vetoes vote no.
Vocabulary lists containing veto
U.S. Government Lingo
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Civics I
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Ancient Rome - Introductory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
All seven candidates to lead the United Nations received a vote of "discourage," effectively a veto, from a permanent UN Security Council member in the latest informal poll, a diplomat said Friday.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
She told BBC Radio 4's Radical podcast that while she could not veto decisions, she could scrutinise and advise ministers to make sure decisions also benefited people who were not yet born.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
It’s almost like he doesn’t know he has a veto.
From Salon ● Sep. 24, 2026
But as he explained in his veto message, the bill would have reduced the retirement age for public-safety employees hired after the Brown reforms to 55 from 57.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
In Livermore’s organizational chart, Teller would be designated as one of several members of the Scientific Steering Committee, but in recognition of his “obvious special status,” he was awarded veto power over the committee’s decisions.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
Grynspan performed best on average in the first five rounds of informal polling, again coming top Friday -- despite the two vetoes.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
The American Property Casualty Insurance Association, a large industry trade group, did not respond to a request for comment on the vetoes, but voiced support for Allen’s non-renewal bill.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
“Reforms such as harmonizing VAT rules or establishing a common consolidated corporate tax base remain stuck because of national vetoes, leaving firms to navigate a maze of fragmented tax regimes,” she said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025
His vetoes of bills to boost funding for state universities, people with disabilities and children's healthcare were all overturned by opposition lawmakers.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2025
After Coin vetoes a dinner, entertainment, and alcohol, Plutarch yells, “What’s the point of the propo if no one’s having any fun!”
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
Last week Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill tightening requirements for recycled-content claims, having concluded that it would bring “little benefit.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
He also vetoed an effort to overhaul the state’s struggling community-solar program.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
Despite neo-Nazis frequently flocking to the address, its last private owner, Gerlinde Pommer, vetoed any transformation of the house and contested its expropriation by the state until the very end.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
Maine Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, vetoed a bill earlier this year that would have halted construction of new data centers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
They considered it dangerous and vetoed my meeting.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
However, in vetoing the bills, Newsom told the Senate in a letter that they would “codify portions of existing, unrelated regulations that are unnecessary at this time.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
Even Grover Cleveland, though not always celebrated for moral inspiration, insisted on personal integrity in public office, vetoing legislation he believed violated constitutional principles despite considerable political cost.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
While vetoing the bill, Walz announced he was commissioning a study of the drivers’ working conditions.
From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2024
It has stopped vetoing condemnatory resolutions at the United Nations.
From BBC ● May 8, 2024
He found it to fall within the objections which he had assigned in his message vetoing the Senate bill on the same subject.
From Twenty Years of Congress, Volume 2 From Lincoln to Garfield, with a Review of the Events Which Led to the Political Revolution of 1860 by James Gillespie Blaine
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