noun,pluralve·toes.Also called veto power(for defs. 1, 4).
the power or right vested in one branch of a government to cancel or postpone the decisions, enactments, etc., of another branch, especially the right of a president, governor, or other chief executive to reject bills passed by the legislature.
the exercise of this right.
Also called veto message.a document exercising such right and setting forth the reasons for such action.
a nonconcurring vote by which one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council can overrule the actions or decisions of the meeting on matters other than procedural.
an emphatic prohibition of any sort.
pocket veto.
verb (used with object),ve·toed,ve·to·ing.
to reject (a proposed bill or enactment) by exercising a veto.
to prohibit emphatically.
Origin of veto
First recorded in 1620–30, veto is from the Latin word vetō I forbid
OTHER WORDS FROM veto
ve·to·er,nounpre·ve·to,noun,pluralpre·ve·toes,verb (used with object),pre·ve·toed,pre·ve·to·ing.re·ve·to,verb (used with object),re·ve·toed,re·ve·to·ing.un·ve·toed,adjective
They were looking for “electorally generated veto points” — that is to say, elected bodies that could block change.
The definitive case for ending the filibuster|Ezra Klein|October 1, 2020|Vox
It took about a year, but they changed that golden-share, that veto power over major transactions into what they called the Public Interest Foundation.
Podcast: How Russia’s everything company works with the Kremlin|Anthony Green|September 30, 2020|MIT Technology Review
A state law passed just before Ikrata’s arrival gave the city of San Diego an effective veto at SANDAG.
Politics Report: Audit Day at SANDAG|Scott Lewis and Andrew Keatts|September 19, 2020|Voice of San Diego
If reformers hope to succeed in curbing overpolicing, they will first have to overcome the challenge of underpolicing, which has often allowed officers to exercise an effective veto on reform.
What Can Mayors Do When the Police Stop Doing Their Jobs?|by Alec MacGillis|September 3, 2020|ProPublica
San Diego needs support from just two other cities to exercise a veto.
Politics Report: Who Will Get the Midway Rose?|Scott Lewis and Andrew Keatts|August 15, 2020|Voice of San Diego
Immediately, there was a national groundswell of voices calling for Arizona Governor Jan Brewer to veto the bill.
Corporations Are No Longer Silent on LGBT Issues||December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In his veto message, Christie also chided Democratic lawmakers for “using their lawmaking authority to play politics.”
Christie Bows to Iowa’s Pork Kings on Gestation Crates|Olivia Nuzzi|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
With the second veto on Friday, however, all bets seemed to be off.
Christie Bows to Iowa’s Pork Kings on Gestation Crates|Olivia Nuzzi|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In fact, because the House never voted, he never got the chance to sign or veto anything.
SNL Parodies Schoolhouse Rock Hilariously, Gets A Lot Wrong|Jack Holmes, The Daily Beast Video|November 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Was it a mistake to veto the bill that would have curtailed such furloughs?
Want President Hillary? Then Primary Her|Jeff Greenfield|November 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When passed by both Houses the President has ten days to sign or veto them.
Citizenship|Emma Guy Cromwell
But the veto against sword-wearing overtaxed the patience of the extreme Conservatives.
A vote that blocks a decision. In the United Nations, for example, each of the five permanent members of the Security Council has the power of veto.
Cultural definitions for veto (2 of 2)
veto
The power of a president or governor to reject a bill proposed by a legislature by refusing to sign it into law. The president or governor actually writes the word veto (Latin for “I forbid”) on the bill and sends it back to the legislature with a statement of his or her objections. The legislature may choose to comply by withdrawing or revising the bill, or it can override the veto and pass the law, by a two-thirds vote in each house.
notes for veto
Originally intended to prevent Congress from passing unconstitutional laws, the veto is now used by the president as a powerful bargaining tool, especially when his objectives conflict with majority sentiment in Congress. (See also checks and balances.)