veto

[ vee-toh ]

/ ˈvi toʊ /

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See synonyms for: veto / vetoed on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural ve·toes.Also called veto power (for defs. 1, 4).

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.

the exercise of this right.

Also called veto message. a document exercising such right and setting forth the reasons for such action.

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.

an emphatic prohibition of any sort.

pocket veto.

verb (used with object), ve·toed, ve·to·ing.

to reject (a proposed bill or enactment) by exercising a veto.

to prohibit emphatically.

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Origin of veto

First recorded in 1620–30, veto is from the Latin word vetō I forbid

OTHER WORDS FROM veto

ve·to·er, nounpre·ve·to, noun, plural pre·ve·toes, verb (used with object), pre·ve·toed, pre·ve·to·ing.re·ve·to, verb (used with object), re·ve·toed, re·ve·to·ing.un·ve·toed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use veto in a sentence

In his veto message, Christie also chided Democratic lawmakers for “using their lawmaking authority to play politics.”
Christie Bows to Iowa’s Pork Kings on Gestation Crates|Olivia Nuzzi|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The reading of this veto message produced much excitement in congress.
Great Events in the History of North and South America|Charles A. Goodrich
Trumbull replied to the veto message in a speech of great power which occupies five pages of the Congressional Globe.
The Life of Lyman Trumbull|Horace White
The veto message was sent in on March 2, 1867, and the bill was passed by two thirds of both houses the same day.
The Life of Lyman Trumbull|Horace White

In his veto message, Jackson attacked the bank as unconstitutional and even hinted at corruption.
History of the United States|Charles A. Beard and Mary R. Beard
President Cleveland made a pointed reference to this process in a veto message of June 21, 1886.
The Cleveland Era|Henry Jones Ford

British Dictionary definitions for veto

veto

/ (ˈviːtəʊ) /

noun plural -toes

the power to prevent legislation or action proposed by others; prohibitionthe presidential veto

the exercise of this power

Also called: veto message US government a document containing the reasons why a chief executive has vetoed a measure

verb -toes, -toing or -toed (tr)

to refuse consent to (a proposal, esp a government bill)

to prohibit, ban, or forbidher parents vetoed her trip

Derived forms of veto

vetoer, nounvetoless, adjective

Word Origin for veto

C17: from Latin: I forbid, from vetāre to forbid

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for veto (1 of 2)

veto

A vote that blocks a decision. In the United Nations, for example, each of the five permanent members of the Security Council has the power of veto.

Cultural definitions for veto (2 of 2)

veto

The power of a president or governor to reject a bill proposed by a legislature by refusing to sign it into law. The president or governor actually writes the word veto (Latin for “I forbid”) on the bill and sends it back to the legislature with a statement of his or her objections. The legislature may choose to comply by withdrawing or revising the bill, or it can override the veto and pass the law, by a two-thirds vote in each house.

notes for veto

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.)

veto

Origin of veto

OTHER WORDS FROM veto

Words related to veto

How to use veto in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for veto

Derived forms of veto

Word Origin for veto

Cultural definitions for veto (1 of 2)

Cultural definitions for veto (2 of 2)

notes for veto