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:
Now, the attempted hijacking by co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami is raising questions about whether FlyDubai’s push for growth has outpaced its ability to recruit and vet the people it entrusts to fly its planes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
Basil Smikle, a political strategist and professor at Columbia University, has argued that Black voters often vet candidates through a different lens than some other groups do.
From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2026
The company intends to “gradually expand access” after voluntarily participating in a government program that has cybersecurity experts vet models before their official release.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026
The fundraiser, which as of Friday evening had raised more than $15,000, will go toward covering medical care, vet bills and property damage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2026
Alex stayed right by Rex’s side through the whole exam, holding him while the vet irrigated the wound and stroking his paw when the doctor injected the cut with anesthetic.
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
“He’s just a vet. He makes a lot of those really smart, veteran plays.”
From Washington Post ● Dec. 19, 2021
But Tully said Noel is “not 100% there. She’s terrified when I take her to the vet. I groom her at home. It’s awful and heartbreaking to watch.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2021
“He’s a vet. This is what he does, and he’s been doing it for a very long time.”
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 24, 2020
“A vet. A wildlife center. Maybe they can save it. We can—” The woman suddenly moaned, doubling over as she clasped her belly.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
"We don't want people to be restricted given the fact that it's now at this time where the vets think there's unlikely to be transmission of the disease," Fairlie added.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
The crew of Mighty Mary was, indeed, a wonder—a quickly-assembled but deeply talented collection of vets and rookies who jelled into a world-class outfit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Pasadena Humane said it rushed the bird to its Wildlife Center, where vets found swelling but no broken bones.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
FlyDubai has an in-house psychology division that vets first officers as they graduate to captain, according to a former pilot at the company and an active crew member at the sister carrier, Emirates.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
If two track vets could confirm that the horse was really injured, Smith could scratch him.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
Google on Wednesday said it would withhold its most powerful artificial intelligence model from the public for now, releasing Gemini 4 Argon only to a vetted group of cybersecurity experts to avoid misuse by hackers.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
The $1tn tech company only made Claude Mythos 5.1 available to vetted US bodies.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
Part of the money Walter invested in the deal came from the insurers he controlled, although that deal was vetted by state insurance regulators.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
The service I used all those years ago, Talkspace, recently launched an AI chatbot that’s, in part, trained on the company’s database of text messages between therapists and customers, which have been vetted and anonymized.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Still, the story had been vetted and rang true to survivors of other labor camps, to scholars, to human rights advocates, and to the South Korean government.
From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden
"We urge the government to clarify quickly the issues raised by this affair over ministerial involvement in the vetting process."
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
The spokesman added that the party had improved its procedures but some individuals who did not share their values would occasionally make it through vetting.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
Police said the tip, dated July 18, was flagged as spam and never reached the department's Real-Time Crime Center for vetting.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
On the question of stopping onboard threats, the ministry said it is responsible for the security of incoming flights but isn’t itself responsible for vetting flight crews and lacks the intelligence capabilities to do so.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
We should start peer review and vetting so they can be officially accepted.
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
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