veto
[ vee-toh ]
/ ˈvi toʊ /
noun, plural ve·toes.Also called veto power (for defs. 1, 4).
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, adjectiveDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for veto
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, adjectiveWord 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.)
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.