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
vetoed; vetoing
: to refuse to admit or approve : prohibit
also
: to refuse assent to (a legislative bill) so as to prevent enactment or cause reconsideration
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
Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 25 Apr. 2025
State lawmakers previously gave Hawthorne extraordinary veto power over any track in the area, but have been considering withdrawing that power.
—Robert McCoppin, Chicago Tribune, 23 Apr. 2025
Michelle Watson, CNN Money, 28 Apr. 2025
Hope for a more extensive residential community on the land was stalled as Lester Maddox, the segregationist governor of Georgia, vetoed a grant from the Office of Economic Opportunity that had been promised to subsidize construction of the neighborhoods.
—Kamal Morgan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for veto
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Noun
That veto override vote has been rescheduled several times.
—Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 25 Apr. 2025
State lawmakers previously gave Hawthorne extraordinary veto power over any track in the area, but have been considering withdrawing that power.
—Robert McCoppin, Chicago Tribune, 23 Apr. 2025
Verb
This month, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed Senate Bill 1164, also known as the Arizona ICE Act, which would have required state and local officials to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement through programs such as 287(g).
—Michelle Watson, CNN Money, 28 Apr. 2025
Hope for a more extensive residential community on the land was stalled as Lester Maddox, the segregationist governor of Georgia, vetoed a grant from the Office of Economic Opportunity that had been promised to subsidize construction of the neighborhoods.
—Kamal Morgan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for veto
Cite this Entry
“Veto.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/veto. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
veto
1 of 2 noun
ve·to
ˈvēt-ō 
plural vetoes
1
: a forbidding of something by a person in authority
2
a
: the power of the head of a government to prevent a bill passed by a legislature from becoming law
b
: the use of such authority
Etymology
Noun
from Latin veto "I forbid," from vetare "to forbid"
Legal Definition
veto
1 of 2 noun
ve·to
ˈvē-tō
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
veto
2 of 2 transitive verb
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
Etymology
Noun
Latin, I forbid, refuse assent to
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