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
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Noun
The legislature overrode the veto, and the law enables nurse practitioners, nurse midwives and physician assistants to provide care. CBS News, 10 Oct. 2024 Teri Olle, director of Economic Security California Action, which co-sponsored SB 1047, said Newsom’s veto forfeits a promising opportunity to put responsible guardrails around AI development. Taryn Luna, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2024
Verb
The Biden Administration vetoed SAB121, preventing banks from custodying crypto. Alexander S. Blume, Forbes, 21 Oct. 2024 In the wake of California’s governor vetoing what would have been sweeping AI safety legislation, a Google DeepMind executive is calling for consensus on what constitutes safe, responsible, and human-centric artificial intelligence. Jenn Brice, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for veto 

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 5 Nov. 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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