veto

[vee-toh]

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.

Origin of veto

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

Related formsve·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. 2018

Related Words for vetoes

ban, embargo, denial, prohibition, deny, refuse, reject, interdiction, interdict, blackball, negative, declination, prohibit, cut, burn, disapprove, forbid, discountenance, disallow, negate

Examples from the Web for vetoes

Contemporary Examples of vetoes

Many Syrians see the vetoes used to block a robust resolution as an excuse for inaction.
After 3 Years of Brutal War Syria is Still Burning, but the World’s Attention Seems to Have Moved On.
Abdulhamid Qabbani
March 25, 2014
But if he vetoes it, he will likely lose the support of many Hispanic voters—the people he needs to win the general election.
Christie’s Immigration Catch-22: Help Immigrants or Win GOP Primaries
Dean Obeidallah
November 19, 2013
Under the Constitution, of course, there is no line-item veto; a president either signs or vetoes an entire bill.
A Word on "Obamabot"-ism
Michael Tomasky
May 1, 2013
Last, what to do in light of the Security Council vetoes of China and, particularly, Russia?
What To Do About Syria’s Crisis?
Bernard-Henri Lévy
December 10, 2012
“Truman and Clinton had vetoes to prove where they stood,” says Popkin.
Democrats Jittery Over Obama’s Sputtering 2012 Campaign
Eleanor Clift
June 8, 2012

Historical Examples of vetoes

In July, 1856, he said that he had for eleven years maintained the vetoes of Mr. Polk.
Robert Toombs
Pleasant A. Stovall
The King 'vetoes' the war; then let us hear what the People say!
Temporal Power
Marie Corelli
Lincoln was in his grave, and Johnson, even with his vetoes, was powerless.
The Abolition Crusade and Its Consequences
Hilary Abner Herbert
Meanwhile, the President was making a unique record by his vetoes.
The Cleveland Era
Henry Jones Ford
They desired the freedoms of democracy, but also all the vetoes of democracy.
Orthodoxy
G. K. Chesterton

British Dictionary definitions for vetoes

veto

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 Formsvetoer, 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

Word Origin and History for vetoes

veto

1706, from veto (n.). Related: Vetoed; vetoing.

veto

1620s, from Latin veto, literally "I forbid," first person singular present indicative of vetare "forbid," of unknown origin. Used by Roman tribunes who opposed measures of the Senate or magistrates.

vetoes in Culture

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.

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.

Note

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.)