veto

noun ve·to \ ˈvē-(ˌ)tō \

|Updated on: 11 Aug 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

The state House voted 85 to 58 on Monday to override his seventh veto of Medicaid expansion, but that was short of the two-thirds required.

— james hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: GOP candidates caught in a bind on Medicaid," 13 July 2018
In his veto, Walsh also scrapped the City Council’s attempts to provide exemptions for lawyers, if those lawyers are representing residents on routine matters before a city board.

— milton j. valencia, BostonGlobe.com, "Walsh vetoes city lobbying rules, calling proposal ‘inadequate’," 12 July 2018
Hungary, however, has vowed to use its veto to prevent that step against Poland.

— raf casert, The Seattle Times, "European Union moves against Poland for its new court law," 2 July 2018
But the Legislature overrode her veto and the bill became law anyway.

— doug stanglin, USA TODAY, "Oklahoma governor vetoes bill to allow adults to carry gun without a license," 12 May 2018
But the Legislature overrode her veto and the bill became law anyway.

— CBS News, "Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin vetoes constitutional carry bill, dealing blow to NRA," 11 May 2018
However, its passage in the House seems unlikely, and then there’s Trump and his veto to contend with.

— david meyer, Fortune, "Tech Firms and Democrats Think They Can Save Net Neutrality. Here's How Their Last-Ditch Attempt Would Work," 9 May 2018
And since there aren't enough Democrats to override his veto, house speaker Michael Madigan probably won't let it be called for a vote.

— ben joravsky, Chicago Reader, "News / Politics / Weed Week Rauner's reefer madness rules despite overwhelming support for legal pot," 17 Apr. 2018
Bevin’s comments came shortly after Republican lawmakers voted to override his vetoes of an operating budget that included increased spending for public education with the help of an accompanying tax increase.

— Time, "Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin Has Apologized for Remarks Linking a Teachers' Rally to Child Sex Abuse," 16 Apr. 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

When the freeze was brought up for the 2018 budget year, the Board of Commissioners vetoed the measure and the council lacked the votes for an override.

— craig lyons, Post-Tribune, "Council creates two-week hold on filling vacancies," 10 July 2018
Several Republican legislators are furious that Edwards vetoed the budget sent to him earlier this month.

— julia o'donoghue, NOLA.com, "When will Louisiana have a state budget?," 29 May 2018
Senate Bill 561 became law early Tuesday when Cooper declined to sign or veto it.

— jim morrill, charlotteobserver, "Carolina Panthers, Charlotte Knights just scored a big break on their property taxes," 26 June 2018
Hours after the bill passed, Trump threatened to veto it, amid an outcry from conservatives critical of the price tag.

— NBC News, "Forget a GOP civil war — the biggest fight plaguing Hill Republicans may be Trump vs. Trump," 18 June 2018
Even though the bill's intention was to find middle ground, President Trump threatened to veto it and the Freedom Caucus would not put endorse it, ultimately leading to the bill's failure.

— CNN, "How often have Senate Democrats from Trump country voted with Republicans?," 15 June 2018
Moeller's bill passed last year, but Rauner vetoed it.

— ben joravsky, Chicago Reader, "Politics With friends like Republican Jeanne Ives, Illinois women don’t need enemies," 5 June 2018
Lawmakers in that state last year approved an increase to 40 percent by 2030, but Gov. Brian Sandoval vetoed it.

— ryan randazzo, azcentral, "APS goes all out in fight against clean-energy measure," 1 June 2018
The initial proposal called for the tax to be $500 per employee, but the city’s mayor had threatened to veto it, the Seattle Times reported.

— jason del rey, Recode, "The new “head tax” is aimed at addressing the city’s homelessness crisis.," 15 May 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