veto

noun ve·to \ ˈvē-(ˌ)tō \

|Updated on: 16 Jun 2018

Definition of veto

plural vetoes

1 : an authoritative prohibition : interdiction

2 a : a power of one department or branch of a government to forbid or prohibit finally or provisionally the carrying out of projects attempted by another department; especially : a power vested in a chief executive to prevent permanently or temporarily the enactment of measures passed by a legislature

b (1) : the exercise of such authority

(2) : a message communicating the reasons of an executive and especially the president of the U.S. for vetoing a proposed law

See veto defined for English-language learners

See veto defined for kids

Examples of veto in a Sentence

a veto of a bill
Are there enough votes in Congress to override the President's veto?
The President has the veto over new legislation.
The President may choose to exercise his veto.

Recent Examples of veto from the Web

Democratic Assemblyman Jim Frazier wasn't happy about the veto.

— taryn luna, sacbee, "Democrats struggle to regain supermajority in Sacramento after sexual harassment scandals," 4 June 2018
So too is the likelihood that Trump will use a veto threat to head off any legislation that isn’t quite similar to his own proposal.

— ed kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "At the End of the Immigration Battle in Congress Stands Stephen Miller With a Veto Pen," 29 May 2018
Now the matter will go to the House, where a simple majority will be required to send the bill to the White House for a signature or veto.

— eric limer, Popular Mechanics, "Senate Votes in Favor of Saving Net Neutrality," 16 May 2018
Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, cast the deciding vote to override the veto of the tax bill, which had already been overridden by the House.

— mandy mclaren, The Courier-Journal, "Bevin, teachers and the Kentucky legislature: More fireworks in store on final day?," 14 Apr. 2018
Trump begrudgingly signed the omnibus spending bill last month after a brief veto threat.

— chad pergram, Fox News, "Trump, GOP plan to rescind budget spending has precedent but rocky path in Congress," 7 Apr. 2018
House members chose not to vote to override the veto.

— nate poppino and betsy z. russell, idahostatesman, "Governor vetoes 1 bill, frets about others – and lawmakers can now leave Boise | Idaho Statesman," 28 Mar. 2018
Trump’s veto threat had put him at odds with top members of his administration and House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Republican, who urged him to sign the bill.

— ken thomas, BostonGlobe.com, "Trump defends signing federal spending bill," 25 Mar. 2018
Still, his veto threat on Friday morning didn’t add up.

— nash jenkins, Time, "Lawmakers Mostly Ignored Trump's Empty Veto Threat," 23 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'veto.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of veto

Latin, I forbid, from vetare to forbid

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1629

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

veto Synonyms

Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

veto

verb

Definition of veto

vetoed; vetoing

transitive verb

: to refuse to admit or approve : prohibit; also : to refuse assent to (a legislative bill) so as to prevent enactment or cause reconsideration

—

vetoer

play \ˈvē-(ˌ)tō-ər\ noun

See veto defined for English-language learners

Examples of veto in a Sentence

The President vetoed the bill.
We wanted to do a cross-country trip, but our parents vetoed it.
She vetoed several restaurants before we could agree on one.

Recent Examples of veto from the Web

There is the matter of his no-trade clause, which would allow Hamels to veto a trade to all but nine teams, including most of those on this list.

— tribune news service, OregonLive.com, "MLB trade rumors: Will the Seattle Mariners try to acquire Cole Hamels?," 11 June 2018
With lawmakers gone from the Capitol until after the November election, Gov. Bruce Rauner is left to decide whether to sign or veto hundreds of bills over the next few months.

— bill lukitsch, chicagotribune.com, "More than 600 bills will land on Rauner’s desk as he seeks re-election," 10 June 2018
Mayor Daniel Drew vetoed portions of the council’s budget to keep funding in place, and after a lengthy hearing May 29, the council voted to allow the veto to go through.

— shawn r. beals, Courant Community, "Middletown Officials Reviewing Applicants For Arts Coordinator," 8 June 2018
The Bengals have a right to veto buildings taller than three stories within a block of the stadium thanks to the lease the team signed with Hamilton County in 1997 for Paul Brown Stadium.

— scott wartman, Cincinnati.com, "Bengals suggest location for Banks music venue. Luken says leaders ignored 'the elephant in the room'," 7 June 2018
But Gorod countered that in this political climate -- with Republicans in control of both branches of government -- the President would veto any legislation that passed, then a supermajority would need to override that veto.

— katelyn polantz, CNN, "Democratic lawmakers make their case in court to stop Trump business from accepting foreign payments," 7 June 2018
Harris owns Leebo's Stores, a chain of nine gas stations in the Alexandria area that could have benefited from the legislation Edwards vetoed.

— julia o'donoghue, NOLA.com, "John Bel Edwards vetoes bill meant to help businesses like House GOP chairman's," 5 June 2018
Pressure from educators spurred the Kentucky legislature to block the governor from vetoing the budget.

— robert gebeloff, New York Times, "The Numbers That Explain Why Teachers Are in Revolt," 4 June 2018
However, multibillion-dollar budget deficits since the 2015 fiscal year have led to cuts across the state budget and by fiscal 2017 the tourism marketing program got just $1.5 million after Gov. Bill Walker vetoed part of the annual appropriation.

— author: elwood brehmer, Anchorage Daily News, "Tourism group looks inward to replace state funding cuts," 6 Apr. 2018

First Known Use of veto

1706

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

veto Synonyms

Synonyms

blackball, down, kill, negative, nix, shoot down;

Antonyms

confirm, ratify;

Near Antonyms

admit, allow, approve, assent (to), pass, sanction;

elect, support;

blacklist;

Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

VETO Defined for English Language Learners

veto

noun

Definition of veto for English Language Learners

: a decision by a person in authority to not allow or approve something (such as a new law)
: the right or power of a person in authority to decide that something (such as a new law) will not be approved

veto

verb

Definition of veto for English Language Learners

: to reject (a proposed law) officially : to refuse to allow (a bill) to become a law
: to refuse to allow or accept (something, such as a plan or suggestion)

VETO Defined for Kids

veto

noun ve·to \ ˈvē-tō \

Definition of veto for Students

plural vetoes

1 : the act of forbidding something by a person in authority

2 : the power of a president, governor, or mayor to prevent something from becoming law

veto

verb

Definition of veto for Students

vetoed; vetoing

1 : forbid, prohibit

We wanted to stay up, but Dad vetoed the idea.

2 : to prevent from becoming law by use of the power to do so

Law Dictionary

veto

noun ve·to \ ˈvē-tō \

legal Definition of veto

plural vetoes

1 : an authoritative prohibition

2 a : a power vested in a chief executive to prevent permanently or temporarily the enactment of measures passed by a legislature

b : the exercise of such authority — see also pocket veto — compare legislative veto

Origin and Etymology of veto

Latin, I forbid, refuse assent to

veto

transitive verb

legal Definition of veto

vetoed; vetoing

: to refuse to admit or approve; specifically : to refuse assent to (a legislative bill) so as to prevent enactment or cause reconsideration — see also override