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
Ray Stern, AZCentral.com, 11 July 2025
The state legislature sought to overturn the veto, but failed by two votes.
—David Ubben, New York Times, 11 July 2025
Ginny Monk, Hartford Courant, 11 July 2025
The other bill, introduced in Nevada, would have designated October as Menopause Awareness Month, but it was vetoed by the governor in June.
—Jacqueline Howard, CNN Money, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for veto
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show current usage.
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Noun
Republicans in the Legislature put the measure on the ballot, bypassing a likely veto by Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs.
—Ray Stern, AZCentral.com, 11 July 2025
The state legislature sought to overturn the veto, but failed by two votes.
—David Ubben, New York Times, 11 July 2025
Verb
That bill passed, but under pressure from local officials, Lamont sided with Republicans and vetoed the measure.
—Ginny Monk, Hartford Courant, 11 July 2025
The other bill, introduced in Nevada, would have designated October as Menopause Awareness Month, but it was vetoed by the governor in June.
—Jacqueline Howard, CNN Money, 11 July 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 15 Jul. 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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