vet
noun
vet
1 American
[vet]
/ vɛt /
noun
verb (used with object)
vets,
present (3rd person singular)
vetted,
past participle, past
vetting
present participle
-
to appraise, verify, or check for accuracy, authenticity, suitability, etc..
An expert vetted the manuscript before publication.
-
to examine or treat in one's capacity as a veterinarian.
verb (used without object)
vets,
present (3rd person singular)
vetted,
past participle, past
vetting
present participle
vet
2
American
[vet]
/ vɛt /
noun
Informal.
vet.
3
American
abbreviation
-
veteran.
-
veterinarian.
-
veterinary.
vet
1
British
/ vɛt /
noun
verb
-
(tr) to make a prior examination and critical appraisal of (a person, document, scheme, etc) See also positive vetting
the candidates were well vetted
-
to examine, treat, or cure (an animal)
vet.
2
British
abbreviation
-
veteran
-
veterinarian
-
veterinary
vet
3
British
/ vɛt /
noun
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
vetsimple
-
vetssimple
-
have vettedperfect
-
has vettedperfect
-
am vettingprogressive
-
are vettingprogressive
-
is vettingprogressive
-
have been vettingperfect progressive
-
has been vettingperfect progressive
Past
-
vettedsimple
-
had vettedperfect
-
was vettingprogressive
-
were vettingprogressive
-
had been vettingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of vet1
First recorded in 1860–65; short for veterinarian
Origin of vet2
An Americanism dating back to 1865–70; shortened form
Explanation
You are a vet if you served in the Armed Forces, or if you went to veterinary school and now give medical care to animals. The noun vet is short for either veteran (of the Armed Forces) or veterinarian (animal doctor). As a verb, vet means "to carefully examine beforehand." For example, your boss might ask you to vet people's applications before calling them for interviews, just to make sure they have the right experience for the job. Medically speaking, when a doctor vets you — or an animal — medical care is given.
Vocabulary lists containing vet
Essential Three-Letter Words, Part 3
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This Week In Words: April 12–18, 2020
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Vocabulary from President Trump's First Address to Congress
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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:
U.S. considers creating Finra-like watchdog to vet top AI models.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
It included an outside auditor that would vet G42’s compliance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
Other entrants include a trans woman named Ashley Webb and a gloriously bearded Marine vet.
From Slate ● Jul. 16, 2026
Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team said it was pleased that Tokyo had made a full recovery and praised the local vet team in Fort William.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
They arrived at the vet’s door just as the vet was locking up to leave.
From "Eleven" by Tom Rogers
"But if you notice something unusual on your pet or livestock, reach out to a vet. Don't ignore it."
From Science Daily ● Dec. 17, 2025
“We’ll get him caught up to speed. He’s a vet. He’s been in this league. And we’ll hopefully put him in a position that he can be successful.”
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 29, 2022
“He’s just a vet. He makes a lot of those really smart, veteran plays.”
From Washington Post ● Dec. 19, 2021
"Thirteenth?! He's a vet — a true, true vet. To me it still seems like he's just gotten to the league."
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 10, 2016
“Also took him to the vet. Your dog needed shots and medicine for worms. Wasn’t cheap.”
From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty
Many clinics remain understaffed, and vets are switching to lower-cost generic prescriptions, the analysts found.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
It would also boost retirement benefits for vets forced to retire with fewer than 20 years of service due to combat-related injuries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Doctors and vets have also arrived in La Guaira to help.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
The agency says that’s to root out fraud, but critics say all it does is unnecessarily slow down a system that already vets applicants vigorously.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026
"Y'all vets better look out for this girl. She runs the eight hundred like it's a skip down the block," the coach said, giving Patina a high five.
From "Ghost" by Jason Reynolds
While governors still appoint justices, they must choose from candidates vetted by an independent nominating commission composed of nonlawyers and lawyers selected from across the state.
From Slate ● Jul. 8, 2026
The council, on a unanimous vote, sent the draft ballot language to a committee for additional study after several councilmembers said it had not been properly vetted.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
Sheinbaum noted that the Rocha indictment came days after two CIA agents died in a car accident following an antidrug operation that Sheinbaum said wasn’t vetted by her government.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026
The revelations have left Moraff and his partners, relative newcomers who have run a handful of campaigns, facing questions about whether they vetted Platner closely enough.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026
There had been hundreds of CDO deals—400 billion dollars’ worth of the things had been created in just the past three years—and yet none, as far as they could tell, had been properly vetted.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
While the centre operates without strict Vatican oversight, it follows long-standing Church rules governing exorcism, including mandatory vetting by mental health professionals.
From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026
Concerns grew louder on the eve of the tournament, as thousands of tickets for the U.S. national team’s opening game remained unsold and a referee from Somalia was denied entry over vetting concerns.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
Citizenship and Immigration Services for an extension and submit to biometric vetting, background checks and fraud screening — shifting the decision on extra time from campus officials to the federal government.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
At Robert Half, Britton said more employers are asking for help vetting candidates.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
The competition to lead the Review was ferocious every year, involving rigorous vetting and a vote by eighty student editors.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
