veto

1 of 2

noun

ve·​to ˈvē-(ˌ)tō How to pronounce veto (audio)
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

veto

2 of 2

verb

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 noun

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
Council members did not have enough votes to override his veto. Chloe Berger, Fortune, 12 Mar. 2024 The program would store Americans’ data on servers in the United States and give the federal government veto power over decision by a board that would run TikTok’s U.S. subsidiary. Jacob Bogage, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2024 The implication was that the man that polls suggest is most likely to succeed Netanyahu as prime minister – Benny Gantz, who is part of the emergency coalition, but not the pre-October government – will have veto power over any solution to the issue. Mick Krever, CNN, 8 Mar. 2024 There will be times when someone on the team has final approval or veto power, and everyone else needs to understand that. Kelly Hopping, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 Beshear, a Democrat, may veto it, but Republicans have a supermajority in the legislature and could override his veto with at least 51 votes in the House and 20 votes in the Senate. The Courier-Journal, 23 Feb. 2024 The governor’s veto was overridden by the legislature’s Republican majority. Karin Brulliard, Washington Post, 26 Feb. 2024 The Ohio House is set to vote today to override Gov. Mike DeWine's veto of legislation that would restrict medical care for transgender minors and block transgender girls from female sports. Anthony Shoemaker, The Enquirer, 23 Feb. 2024 The General Assembly passing the bill to allow fairness in sports and then overriding the governor's veto was the right decision to make. Kayla Dwyer, The Indianapolis Star, 23 Feb. 2024
Verb
In 2022, lawmakers in suburban Westchester County, north of the Bronx, passed a menthol ban bill, which County Executive George Latimer vetoed. USA TODAY, 10 Mar. 2024 The bill, which fell short of a veto-proof majority, is similar to a measure vetoed by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly last year. Jenna Barackman, Kansas City Star, 29 Feb. 2024 The resolution contained language similar to bills Kavanagh introduced last year that Hobbs vetoed. The Arizona Republic, 28 Feb. 2024 As governor, Larry Hogan also vetoed the nation’s first digital advertising tax. Patrick Gleason, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 Newsom vetoed a bill last fall that aimed to open California’s Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants to undocumented people who are blind, disabled or over 65. Gillian Brassil, Sacramento Bee, 25 Feb. 2024 Beshear, a Democrat, may veto it, but Republicans have a supermajority in the legislature and could override his veto with at least 51 votes in the House and 20 votes in the Senate. The Courier-Journal, 23 Feb. 2024 Multiple environmental groups have urged Evers to veto the legislation, saying the limits on DNR enforcement are a deal-breaker. Todd Richmond, Quartz, 27 Feb. 2024 In the last two years, Gov. Gavin Newsom has vetoed legislation that would have provided some undocumented residents unemployment insurance and cash assistance due to financial costs. Mathew Miranda, Sacramento Bee, 26 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'veto.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Latin, I forbid, from vetare to forbid

First Known Use

Noun

1629, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1706, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of veto was in 1629

Dictionary Entries Near veto

Cite this Entry

“Veto.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/veto. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

veto

1 of 2 noun
ve·​to ˈvēt-ō How to pronounce veto (audio)
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

veto

2 of 2 verb
: prohibit sense 1
especially : to use one's power of veto
vetoer noun
Etymology

Noun

from Latin veto "I forbid," from vetare "to forbid"

Legal Definition

veto

1 of 2 noun
ve·​to ˈvē-tō How to pronounce veto (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on veto

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