What does vetoed mean?
“Vetoed” is the past tense and past participle of “veto,” meaning that a proposed action was formally rejected or stopped. Its clearest use is political and legislative: a president, governor, monarch, or other authorized official may veto a bill, veto a proposal, or veto a decision, preventing it from becoming law or taking effect. The word can also be used more broadly when an institution, committee, board, or court exercises a comparable power of refusal. In constructions such as “a vetoed bill,” “vetoed” functions as an adjective and describes something that has been rejected by such a decision. “Vetoed” is usually formal and carries institutional authority, although the verb “veto” has a broader figurative use meaning to block or reject another plan. Its wording can therefore imply not merely disagreement but an effective decision by someone empowered to stop the action.
Rejected or stopped a proposed action by exercising a formal veto.
"The president vetoed the bill that would have restricted public access to the records."
The simple past tense and past participle have the same form.
Having been rejected or stopped by a formal veto.
"The vetoed bill returned to the legislature for reconsideration."
This attributive use typically appears directly before the rejected bill, measure, proposal, or legislation.
A Roman tribune could halt legislation by uttering veto—Latin for “I forbid”—so modern vetoes still carry the echo of that ancient word.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does vetoed come from?
The English verb comes through French veto, from Latin vetare, “to forbid,” and the Latin form veto meant “I forbid.” Its best-known political sense reflects the Roman practice of a tribune interjecting veto to stop a proposed action. The English word developed both as a noun naming the power to reject a proposal and as a verb meaning to exercise that power.
Related word forms
How vetoed is actually used
Formally, “vetoed” is both the simple past tense and the past participle of “veto.” It is especially associated with political and institutional decisions but may be used more broadly for any formal act of blocking or rejecting. Before a noun, as in “the vetoed bill,” it functions as an adjective.