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
Synonyms
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
Andrew Sheeler, Sacramento Bee, 30 Jan. 2025
So his veto likely would just be a temporary reprieve for those students.
—Jeffrey Schweers, Orlando Sentinel, 29 Jan. 2025
Harry Booth / Paris, TIME, 6 Feb. 2025
Mette Frederiksen prime minister of Denmark President Herbert Hoover, who had run for the office on a platform of helping farmers with protective tariffs, signed the law in June 1930, ignoring a petition signed by more than 1,000 economists asking him to veto the bill.
—Greg Iacurci,ana Teresa Solá, CNBC, 5 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for veto 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
One of the knocks on his records, according to the group, was his veto of a bill that would have placed a warning label about air pollution on gas stoves.
—Andrew Sheeler, Sacramento Bee, 30 Jan. 2025
So his veto likely would just be a temporary reprieve for those students.
—Jeffrey Schweers, Orlando Sentinel, 29 Jan. 2025
Verb
In late August, the bill passed both chambers of California’s legislature with strong majorities but in September it was vetoed by governor Gavin Newsom who argued the measures could stifle innovation.
—Harry Booth / Paris, TIME, 6 Feb. 2025
Mette Frederiksen prime minister of Denmark President Herbert Hoover, who had run for the office on a platform of helping farmers with protective tariffs, signed the law in June 1930, ignoring a petition signed by more than 1,000 economists asking him to veto the bill.
—Greg Iacurci,ana Teresa Solá, CNBC, 5 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for veto
Articles Related to veto
Dictionary Entries Near veto
Cite this Entry
“Veto.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/veto. Accessed 12 Feb. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share