veto
[noun]
Synonyms:
- ban, boycott, embargo, interdict, prohibition
[verb]
Synonyms:
- ban, boycott, disallow, forbid, prohibit, reject, rule out, turn down

---

Contrasted words: admit, approve, assent (to), pass
Related Idioms: put one's veto on
Related Words: decline, deny, disallow, forbid, prohibit, refuse, reject, defeat

---

English Thesaurus: election, ballot, referendum, the polls, show of hands, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. ve‧to¹ /ˈviːtəʊ $ -toʊ/ verb (past tense and past participle vetoed, present participle vetoing, third person singular vetoes) [transitive]

1. if someone in authority vetoes something, they refuse to allow it to happen, especially something that other people or organizations have agreed
veto legislation/a measure/a proposal etc
President Bush vetoed the bill on July 6.

2. to refuse to accept a particular plan or suggestion:
Jenny wanted to invite all her friends, but I quickly vetoed that idea.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. veto² noun (plural vetoes) [uncountable and countable]
[Date: 1600-1700; Language: Latin; Origin: 'I refuse to allow', from vetare 'to forbid']
a refusal to give official permission for something, or the right to refuse to give such permission
veto on
de Gaulle’s veto on the British application to join the EEC
veto over
The head teacher has the right of veto over management-board decisions.
veto of
Washington’s veto of Seoul’s nuclear ambitions
The Senate had a sufficient majority to override the presidential veto (=not accept his refusal).
exercise/use your veto

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

veto
noun
ADJ. effective, virtual | absolute | government, presidential
VERB + VETO have | cast, exercise, impose, use The board can exercise its veto to prevent the decision.
lift The agreement became possible when Spain lifted its veto.
override, overturn The Senate voted to override the president's veto.
VETO + NOUN power, rights
PREP. ~ against The nobles had a virtual veto against peasant candidates.
~ on The Opposition effectively have a veto on constitutional reform.
~ over a veto over all political appointments
PHRASES a power/right of veto

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

veto
verb
ADV. effectively The president effectively vetoed this measure.
VERB + VETO threaten to
PHRASES the power/right to veto sth

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

election an occasion when people choose a government or leader by voting:
the American presidential election
South Africa held its first multi-racial elections in 1994.
ballot /ˈbælət/ an occasion when the members of an organization vote by marking what they want on a piece of paper, especially to make sure that it is secret:
The result of the ballot showed that nurses were not in favour of a strike.
referendum /ˌrefəˈrendəm/ an occasion when everyone in a country votes on an important political subject:
In the Danish referendum, the people voted ‘no’ to joining the European single currency.
the polls the process of voting in a political election – used especially in news reports:
4,500,000 voters went to the polls in eight provinces to elect six governors.
show of hands an act of voting informally for something by the people in a group raising their hands:
May I have a show of hands from all those in favour of the proposal?
vote [intransitive and transitive] to show which person or party you want, or whether you support a plan, by marking a piece of paper, raising your hand etc:
I’ve voted Democrat all my life.
You can vote for your favourite singer.
A majority of the people voted for independence.
In tomorrow’s election, many young people will be voting for the first time.
elect [transitive] to choose a leader, representative, or government by voting, so that they become the new leader, representative etc:
He was elected mayor of London.
the newly-elected government
I think we should start by electing a new chairman.
go to the polls if a country or voters go to the polls, they vote in an election - used especially in news reports:
The US goes to the polls in November.
The economic crisis could well be a decisive factor when voters go to the polls this autumn.
take a vote if a group of people at a meeting take a vote, they vote about something:
We should take a vote on whether or not to accept their offer.
They took a vote and picked Bernard.
cast your vote formal to mark a piece of paper, call a telephone number etc in order to vote:
The first votes have been cast in the country’s general election.
Click here to cast your vote.
veto [transitive] to vote against something that other people have agreed on, so that it cannot happen:
The president has the right to veto any piece of legislation.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

refuse to say firmly that you will not do something that someone has asked you to do:
I asked the bank for a loan, but they refused.
When they refused to leave, we had to call the police.
say no spoken to say that you will not do something when someone asks you:
They asked me so nicely that I couldn’t really say no.
turn somebody/something down to refuse to accept an offer or invitation, or a formal request:
They offered me the job but I turned it down.
The board turned down a request for $25,000 to sponsor an art exhibition.
I’ve already been turned down by three colleges.
reject to refuse to accept an idea, offer, suggestion, or plan:
They rejected the idea because it would cost too much money.
The Senate rejected a proposal to limit the program to two years.
decline formal to politely refuse to accept an offer or invitation, or refuse to do something:
She has declined all offers of help.
A palace spokesman declined to comment on the rumours.
deny to refuse to allow someone to do something or enter somewhere:
They were denied permission to publish the book.
He was denied access to the US.
veto to officially refuse to allow a law or plan, or to refuse to accept someone’s suggestion:
Congress vetoed the bill.
The suggestion was quickly vetoed by the other members of the team.
disallow to officially refuse to accept something because someone has broken the rules, or not done it in the correct way:
The goal was disallowed by the referee.
The court decided to disallow his evidence.
rebuff formal to refuse to accept someone’s offer, request, or suggestion:
The company raised its offer to $6 billion, but was rebuffed.
He was politely rebuffed when he suggested holding the show in Dublin.
give somebody/something the thumbs down informal to refuse to allow or accept a plan or suggestion:
The plan was given the thumbs down by the local authority.
They gave us the thumbs down.
rubbish especially British English things that people throw away, such as old food, dirty paper etc:
People are being encouraged to recycle their household rubbish.
the rubbish bin
garbage/trash American English rubbish:
The garbage is collected every Tuesday.
There were piles of trash in the backyard.
a black plastic garbage bag
litter empty bottles, pieces of paper etc that people have dropped on the ground:
Parents should teach children not to drop litter.
There was a lot of litter on the beach.
waste rubbish, or materials that need to be dealt with after they have been used in industrial processes:
nuclear waste
toxic waste
household waste
The company was fined for dumping toxic waste in the sea.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

vote [intransitive and transitive] to show which person or party you want, or whether you support a plan, by marking a piece of paper, raising your hand etc:
I’ve voted Democrat all my life.
You can vote for your favourite singer.
A majority of the people voted for independence.
In tomorrow’s election, many young people will be voting for the first time.
elect [transitive] to choose a leader, representative, or government by voting, so that they become the new leader, representative etc:
He was elected mayor of London.
the newly-elected government
I think we should start by electing a new chairman.
go to the polls if a country or voters go to the polls, they vote in an election - used especially in news reports:
The US goes to the polls in November.
The economic crisis could well be a decisive factor when voters go to the polls this autumn.
take a vote if a group of people at a meeting take a vote, they vote about something:
We should take a vote on whether or not to accept their offer.
They took a vote and picked Bernard.
cast your vote formal to mark a piece of paper, call a telephone number etc in order to vote:
The first votes have been cast in the country’s general election.
Click here to cast your vote.
ballot [transitive] to ask the members of an organization to vote on something in order to decide what to do:
The union will ballot its members on whether to go ahead with the strike action.
veto [transitive] to vote against something that other people have agreed on, so that it cannot happen:
The president has the right to veto any piece of legislation.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲