noun
vet
veht
noun
1
A doctor who treats animals; short for veterinarian.
"We took the cat to the vet for her annual checkup."
2
A person who has served in the armed forces; short for veteran.
"The parade honoured local vets from the war."
verb
1
To carefully check or investigate someone or something before approving them.
"The security team vets every visitor before they enter the building."
How to Use Vet
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishAn informal short word for an animal doctor or a military veteran, and also a verb meaning to screen or check thoroughly.
Common pairings
vet a candidate
take the dog to the vet
Word Forms
vetted past tense, vets plural, vets plural, vets singular
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We took the cat to the _____ for her annual checkup.
Etymology
A shortened form of "veterinarian" (the animal-doctor sense) and separately of "veteran" (the ex-soldier sense).