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
Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 28 Mar. 2026
That veto power has drawn the ire of House Republicans and even Trump himself, leading to calls for her firing.
—David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 28 Mar. 2026
Krys Fluker, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Mar. 2026
The Miami Beach Commission had urged DeSantis to veto the bill.
—Gray Rohrer, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for veto
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Noun
To muster the supermajority necessary to override a veto, GOP leaders would have to pick up 21 votes in the House and five in the Senate.
—Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 28 Mar. 2026
That veto power has drawn the ire of House Republicans and even Trump himself, leading to calls for her firing.
—David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 28 Mar. 2026
Verb
Lawmakers can pass a better, stronger bill, leaving DeSantis free to veto the first attempt.
—Krys Fluker, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Mar. 2026
The Miami Beach Commission had urged DeSantis to veto the bill.
—Gray Rohrer, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for veto
Cite this Entry
“Veto.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/veto. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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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