What does Veto mean?

Definitions for Veto
ˈvi toʊve·to

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word Veto.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. vetonoun

    a vote that blocks a decision

  2. vetoverb

    the power or right to prohibit or reject a proposed or intended act (especially the power of a chief executive to reject a bill passed by the legislature)

  3. veto, blackball, negativeverb

    vote against; refuse to endorse; refuse to assent

    "The President vetoed the bill"

  4. forbid, prohibit, interdict, proscribe, veto, disallow, nixverb

    command against

    "I forbid you to call me late at night"; "Mother vetoed the trip to the chocolate store"; "Dad nixed our plans"

Wiktionary

  1. vetonoun

    A political right to disapprove of (and thereby stop) the process of a decision, a law etc.

  2. vetonoun

    An invocation of that right.

  3. vetoverb

    To use a veto against.

Wikipedia

  1. Veto

    A veto is a legal power to unilaterally stop an official action. In the most typical case, a president or monarch vetoes a bill to stop it from becoming law. In many countries, veto powers are established in the country's constitution. Veto powers are also found at other levels of government, such as in state, provincial or local government, and in international bodies. Some vetoes can be overcome, often by a supermajority vote: in the United States, a two-thirds vote of the House and Senate can override a presidential veto. Some vetoes, however, are absolute and cannot be overridden. For example, in the United Nations Security Council, the permanent members (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States) have an absolute veto over any Security Council resolution. In many cases, the veto power can only be used to prevent changes to the status quo. But some veto powers also include the ability to make or propose changes. For example, the Indian president can use an amendatory veto to propose amendments to vetoed bills. The executive power to veto legislation one of the main tools that the executive has in the legislative process, along with the proposal power. It is most commonly found in presidential and semi-presidential systems. In parliamentary systems, the head of state often has either a weak veto power or none at all. But while some political systems do not contain a formal veto power, all political systems contain veto players, people or groups who can use social and political power to prevent policy change.The word "veto" comes from the Latin for "I forbid". The concept of a veto originated with the Roman offices of consul and tribune of the plebs. There were two consuls every year; either consul could block military or civil action by the other. The tribunes had the power to unilaterally block any action by a Roman magistrate or the decrees passed by the Roman Senate.

ChatGPT

  1. veto

    Veto is the constitutional right or power of a president, governor, or other official to reject or prevent a specific decision, law, or policy proposal made by a legislative body. By using a veto, the official can stop the legislation from becoming a law. This power is typically used as a checks and balances mechanism in a democratic system of governance.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Vetonoun

    an authoritative prohibition or negative; a forbidding; an interdiction

  2. Vetonoun

    a power or right possessed by one department of government to forbid or prohibit the carrying out of projects attempted by another department; especially, in a constitutional government, a power vested in the chief executive to prevent the enactment of measures passed by the legislature. Such a power may be absolute, as in the case of the Tribunes of the People in ancient Rome, or limited, as in the case of the President of the United States. Called also the veto power

  3. Vetonoun

    the exercise of such authority; an act of prohibition or prevention; as, a veto is probable if the bill passes

  4. Vetonoun

    a document or message communicating the reasons of the executive for not officially approving a proposed law; -- called also veto message

  5. Vetoverb

    to prohibit; to negative; also, to refuse assent to, as a legislative bill, and thus prevent its enactment; as, to veto an appropriation bill

  6. Etymology: [L. veto I forbid.]

Wikidata

  1. Veto

    A veto – Latin for "I forbid" – is the power to unilaterally stop an official action, especially the enactment of legislation. A veto can be absolute, as for instance in the United Nations Security Council, whose permanent members can block any resolution. Or it can be limited, as in the legislative process of the United States, where a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate may override a Presidential veto of legislation. A veto only gives power to stop changes, not to adopt them. Thus a veto allows its holder to protect the status quo. The concept of a veto body originated with the Roman consuls and tribunes. Either of the two consuls holding office in a given year could block a military or civil decision by the other; any tribune had the power to unilaterally block legislation passed by the Roman Senate.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Veto

    vē′tō, n. any authoritative prohibition: the power of rejecting or forbidding:—pl. Vetoes (vē′tōz).v.t. to reject by a veto: to withhold assent to.—Absolute veto, a veto without restriction. [L. vetāre, to forbid.]

Suggested Resources

  1. veto

    Song lyrics by veto -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by veto on the Lyrics.com website.

  2. VETO

    What does VETO stand for? -- Explore the various meanings for the VETO acronym on the Abbreviations.com website.

Etymology and Origins

  1. Veto

    This word is Latin for “I forbid.”

Surnames Frequency by Census Records

  1. VETO

    According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Veto is ranked #68345 in terms of the most common surnames in America.

    The Veto surname appeared 288 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 would have the surname Veto.

    88.1% or 254 total occurrences were White.
    6.2% or 18 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.
    3.8% or 11 total occurrences were Asian.

Matched Categories

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

Anagrams for Veto »

  1. vote

  2. Vote

  3. voet

How to pronounce Veto?

How to say Veto in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of Veto in Chaldean Numerology is: 4

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of Veto in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8

Examples of Veto in a Sentence

  1. Gene Karpinski:

    This veto, along with the president’s increasing public skepticism about Keystone XL ... makes us more confident than ever that (the) president will reject the permit itself once and for all.

  2. Liz Cheney:

    We ought to pass the NDAA and The President should not veto it. And we should override it.

  3. The Weinstein Company:

    We have plans in place to begin filming Lee Daniels’ new film in Georgia later this year, but will move the production if this unlawful bill in enacted, we hope Governor Deal will veto bill HB 757 and not allow sanctioned bigotry to become law in Georgia.

  4. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi:

    This is a statement of the Congress of the United States and I will not have that statement be diminished by whether the President will veto it or not.

  5. Geoffrey F. Albert:

    When you take charge of your life, there is no longer need to ask permission of other people or society at large. When you ask permission, you give someone veto power over your life.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

Veto#10000#19868#100000

Translations for Veto

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

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"Veto." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 15 Feb. 2025. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/Veto>.

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