veto definition | Dictionary.com

ve⋅to

[vee-toh]

noun, plural -toes, verb, -toed, -to⋅ing.

–noun

1.	the power or right vested in one branch of a government to cancel or postpone the decisions, enactments, etc., of another branch, esp. the right of a president, governor, or other chief executive to reject bills passed by the legislature.

2.	the exercise of this right.

3.	Also called veto message. a document exercising such right and setting forth the reasons for such action.

4.	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.

5.	an emphatic prohibition of any sort.

6.	pocket veto.

–verb (used with object)

7.	to reject (a proposed bill or enactment) by exercising a veto.

8.	to prohibit emphatically.

Also called veto power (for defs. 1, 4).

Origin:
1620–30; < L vetō I forbid

Related forms:

ve⋅to⋅er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To veto

ve·to (vē'tō)

n. pl. ve·toes

1. The vested power or constitutional right of one branch or department of government to refuse approval of measures proposed by another department, especially the power of a chief executive to reject a bill passed by the legislature and thus prevent or delay its enactment into law.
2. Exercise of this right.
3. An official document or message from a chief executive stating the reasons for rejection of a bill.
An authoritative prohibition or rejection of a proposed or intended act.

tr.v. ve·toed, ve·to·ing, ve·toes

To prevent (a legislative bill) from becoming law by exercising the power of veto.
To forbid or prohibit authoritatively.

[From Latin vetō, first person sing. present tense of vetāre, to forbid.]
ve'to·er n.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Veto

Ve"to\, n.; pl. Vetoes. [L. veto I forbid.]

1. An authoritative prohibition or negative; a forbidding; an interdiction.

This contemptuous veto of her husband's on any intimacy with her family. --G. Eliot.

2. Specifically: (a) 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. (b) The exercise of such authority; an act of prohibition or prevention; as, a veto is probable if the bill passes. (c) A document or message communicating the reasons of the executive for not officially approving a proposed law; -- called also veto message. [U. S.]

Note: Veto is not a term employed in the Federal Constitution, but seems to be of popular use only. --Abbott.

Veto

Ve"to\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Vetoed; p. pr. & vb. n. Vetoing.] To prohibit; to negative; also, to refuse assent to, as a legislative bill, and thus prevent its enactment; as, to veto an appropriation bill.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : veto

Spanish: vetar; vedar,

German: Einspruch erheben gegen,

Japanese: 拒否する

More Translations »

veto

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.

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.

Note: 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.)

veto (n.)

1629, from L. veto, lit. "I forbid," first person singular present indicative of vetare "forbid," of unknown origin. Used by Roman tribunes who opposed measures of the Senate or magistrates. The verb is recorded from 1706.

Main Entry: ve·to
Pronunciation: 'vE-tO
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural ve·toes
Etymology: Latin, I forbid, refuse assent to
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

Main Entry: veto
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: ve·toed; ve·to·ing
: 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

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