To veto means to reject or forbid something officially, even when others have approved it. The word comes from Latin, where it literally meant “I forbid.”

In the United States government, the President can veto a bill that Congress has passed, stopping it from becoming law. When this happens, Congress must get a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate to override the veto, which is much harder than the simple majority they needed the first time. This veto power is part of the system that balances the government's three branches, so no single group has total control.

But veto power extends beyond presidents and government. A parent might veto their child's plan to stay up until midnight on a school night. In the United Nations Security Council, five countries (the United States, Russia, China, France, and the United Kingdom) can each veto any major decision, which means all five must agree before important actions can happen.

When something gets vetoed, supporters often feel frustrated because their hard work gets blocked. Veto power is meant to make sure important decisions get careful thought. It forces people to convince not just a majority, but also those with veto power, so the final result has broader support.

As a noun, a veto is the official act of rejecting something, like a president's veto of a bill.