Plural of “veto”

The plural of veto is vetoes.

Why

"Veto" is Latin for "I forbid," the first-person singular present tense of "vetare" — Roman tribunes used the single word "veto" to block a law simply by declaring it. English borrowed the word whole as a noun in the 17th century, describing the power to reject a decision, and it settled into the older -oes pattern used by other early-assimilated consonant-plus-o nouns. The Roman tribunes who held this power were elected specifically to represent the interests of the common plebeian class against the patrician-dominated senate, making the original "veto" a genuinely populist check on elite political power rather than the executive tool it has become in most modern constitutional systems.

Unlike many Latin borrowings that keep a distinct Latin-style plural ("cactus/cacti," "stadium/stadia"), "veto" never kept any trace of Latin grammar in its plural at all — Latin "veto" was a verb form, not a noun, so there was no Latin noun plural to inherit in the first place. English simply built an ordinary plural for it from scratch, following the same -oes pattern as "echo" and "hero."

Usage note

"Vetoes" is the only accepted plural in every context, from constitutional law to everyday use ("the council overrode both vetoes"). There is no competing "vetos" spelling recognized by major dictionaries.

Roman tribunes held the power to say simply "veto," "I forbid," to block almost any action by a magistrate, a remarkably blunt single-word constitutional tool that later inspired the more elaborate veto systems built into modern constitutional democracies, including the United States presidential veto and the United Nations Security Council veto. The five permanent members of the UN Security Council, the United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia, and China, each hold an individual veto, and disputes over how these vetoes have been used, or overused, remain a constant subject of international diplomatic and legal commentary.

Common real mistakes

The main slip, as with "echo," is dropping the -e ("vetos"), especially among writers used to newer -o nouns that take a plain -s. Legal and political writing in particular should be careful here, since "veto" appears constantly in government reporting. Writers should also distinguish an outright "veto" from a "pocket veto," a specific American constitutional mechanism where a president effectively rejects a bill simply by not signing it before Congress adjourns.

The wider pattern

"Veto" is a rare case of a Latin verb form becoming an English noun with no Latin plural to draw on at all, which makes its plural purely a matter of English spelling convention rather than borrowed grammar — grouping it, by accident of timing, with "echo" and "hero" rather than with the many genuine Latin nouns that kept classical plurals.

Examples

• The president issued two vetoes during his first term.
• Congress overrode both vetoes with a two-thirds majority.
• The council's vetoes blocked the proposed zoning changes.
• Her string of vetoes angered the opposition party.
• Several vetoes were cast against the trade agreement.
• The governor's vetoes drew sharp criticism from lawmakers.
• Five permanent members can each cast vetoes in the Security Council.
• The mayor's vetoes stalled the budget for weeks.
• Historians count only a handful of vetoes issued that decade.
• Both vetoes were eventually overturned by the legislature.
• The council overrode vetoes sparked a lengthy legal challenge.
• Analysts tallied every veto cast during the session.
• The president issued vetoes that shaped the final version of the bill.
• The senate debated overriding both vetoes at once.
• Historians count how often each president issued vetoes.
• The mayor threatened vetoes over the disputed budget items.
• Lawmakers tallied every veto issued that legislative session.
• The two vetoes effectively stalled the entire bill.
• The council debated overriding the mayor's vetoes.