veto

noun

ve·to | \ ˈvē-(ˌ)tō

plural vetoes

Definition of veto

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : an authoritative prohibition : interdiction

2a : 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

veto

verb

vetoed; vetoing

Definition of veto (Entry 2 of 2)

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

Other Words from veto Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about veto

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Synonyms & Antonyms for veto

Synonyms: Noun

ban, embargo, interdict, interdiction, prohibition, proscription

Synonyms: Verb

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

Antonyms: Noun

prescription

Antonyms: Verb

confirm, ratify

Examples of veto in a Sentence

Noun

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.

Verb

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 on the Web: Noun

The goal is to gain the four House and six Senate seats Democrats need to crack the super-majorities that allow Republicans to easily override vetoes by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper. — Jim Morrill, charlotteobserver, "Sen. Jeff Jackson is making a big push to elect NC Democrats. What's in it for him?," 30 May 2018 Congress didn't override the veto but instead passed another bill that was signed by the president and went into effect later that month. — Brenna Williams, CNN, "#TBT: The very first veto," 5 Apr. 2018 In 2006, as Ohio House speaker, Husted led an effort to override a veto by then-Gov. — Jessie Balmert, Cincinnati.com, "Ohio Democrat and his running mate can’t agree on assault weapons ban," 28 Mar. 2018 Opponents also contend that the tougher requirements would give four legislative districts with just 9 percent of Idaho voters veto power over the entire initiative process. — Keith Ridler, The Seattle Times, "House OKs 2 bills that toughen Idaho initiative process," 29 Mar. 2019 Republicans are on the brink of attaining enough support for a resolution to disapprove of the declaration, potentially forcing Mr. Trump to use his veto power for the first time. — Kristina Peterson, WSJ, "Senate Republicans Urge Trump to Retreat on Emergency Declaration," 28 Feb. 2019 In practice, the supermajority requirement gave the oil industry veto power over the bill. — David Roberts, Vox, "California’s cap-and-trade system may be too weak to do its job," 12 Dec. 2018 China, a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council with veto power over whether the issue will be brought before the ICC, has been reticent about condemning Myanmar's government during the crisis. — Jamey Keaten, Fox News, "UN team: Myanmar military chiefs should face 'genocide' case," 27 Aug. 2018 Congress overrode the veto, and passed the constitutional amendment to boot. — Dara Lind, Vox, "Birthright citizenship, explained: why some on the right want to end it, and what they get wrong," 23 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Buoyed by House Republicans demanding a bigger fight over the wall, Mr. Trump threatened to veto that bill, upending the negotiations and leading to Saturday’s shutdown. — Kristina Peterson, WSJ, "Partial Government Shutdown Likely to Stretch Into January," 27 Dec. 2018 So Trump, despite seeming eager just a few days earlier to take credit for a shutdown and precipitating the crisis by threatening to veto a spending bill, is pointing his finger at the Democrats. — Dylan Scott, Vox, "Why the blame game over the government shutdown is pointless," 21 Dec. 2018 This accelerated pace is a byproduct of Trump threatening to veto the gigantic, $1.3 omnibus spending bill back in March. — Chad Pergram, Fox News, "How potential government shutdown could throw wrench into Brett Kavanaugh confirmation," 31 July 2018 Greitens vetoed a bill last year that would have provided funding for the University of Missouri-Kansas City to build a downtown arts campus, a proposal that Greitens lambasted on his Facebook page. — Bryan Lowry, kansascity, "Missouri Gov. Parson meets with KC mayor in first week. Greitens took months," 5 June 2018 Scott can't veto individual items in the bill itself, but does have line-item veto power with the budget. — CBS News, "Gov. Rick Scott signs compromise gun control bill in wake of Florida school shooting," 9 Mar. 2018 Understandably, the Queen vetoed the couple's plan to move outside of the palace's jurisdiction. — Amy Mackelden, Harper's BAZAAR, "The Queen Allegedly Vetoed Meghan Markle & Prince Harry's Plan to Be "Entirely Independent"," 17 Mar. 2019 In February 2015, then president Barack Obama vetoed a bill that would have authorized the pipeline, as The Washington Post reported. — Jameelah Nasheed, Teen Vogue, "Native American Tribes Are Suing the Trump Administration to Stop the Keystone XL Pipeline," 11 Sep. 2018 Of the 10 bills Edwards has vetoed in 2018, nine have originated in the House, where the governor struggles to find consensus with the leadership. — Julia O'donoghue, NOLA.com, "John Bel Edwards vetoes bills from GOP members of budget committee," 30 May 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.

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Dictionary Entries near veto

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Last Updated

18 May 2019

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Time Traveler for veto

The first known use of veto was in 1629

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More Definitions for veto

veto

noun

English Language Learners Definition of veto

(Entry 1 of 2)

: 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

English Language Learners Definition of veto (Entry 2 of 2)

: 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)

See the full definition for veto in the English Language Learners Dictionary

veto

noun

ve·to | \ ˈvē-tō

plural vetoes

Kids Definition of veto

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

vetoed; vetoing

Kids Definition of veto (Entry 2 of 2)

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

veto

noun

ve·to | \ ˈvē-tō

plural vetoes

Legal Definition of veto

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : an authoritative prohibition

2a : 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

veto

transitive verb

vetoed; vetoing

Legal Definition of veto (Entry 2 of 2)

: 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