Meaning

(colloquial) A veterinarian or veterinary surgeon..

Definitions by Sense

1. (colloquial) A veterinarian or veterinary surgeon.
2. (colloquial, US) A veteran (a former soldier or other member of armed forces).
3. To thoroughly check or investigate particularly with regard to providing formal approval.

Example Sentences

Colin Cameron, a vet who examined the dead animal, said there was "no doubt the kitten would have suffered unnecessarily" before dying.

“A former soldier, sir. A vet. Theyʼre all vets, a little shellshocked.”

The FBI vets all nominees to the Federal bench.

Sir Humphrey Appleby: Nevertheless we do not admit it (the existence of MI6). Not everyone round this table has been vetted (pun). / Jim Hacker: I thought that's something you do to cats (laugh track). / Sir Humphrey Appleby: Yes indeed, but not ferrets, Minister (laugh track).

41 year-old Thupten from Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture confirmed this threat of punishment. “The people in my area were very discontent when an election was announced. We knew that the candidates selected had already been carefully vetted by higher Chinese officials, and that our ‘voting’ was mere lip-service to Chinese claims of democracy, but we did it anyway.

House and Senate Committees are made up of elected legislators who vet the bill and hear from stakeholders and members of the public.

Word Forms

• vets
• vetting
• vetted

Synonyms for vet

Related Words

When Should You Use Vet?

Use vet when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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