vets

1. 1
   nouncolloquial

   Plural of vet.

   Both vets agreed that the dog needed surgery right away.

   Many vets struggle to find work after returning from service.

   Note

   Two different groups share this plural: animal doctors, and former members of the armed forces in colloquial American use. Both meanings of vet are colloquial, so in formal writing veterinarians or veterans is the safer choice. The same spelling is also the verb meaning 'checks carefully', so the board vets and the board's vets mean quite different things.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of vet.

   The agency vets all volunteers to ensure they are safe to work with children.

   Our editor vets every source before approving an article for publication.

   Note

   The present-tense form for a single subject: the agency vets, the editor vets. It always takes a direct object, the person or thing being checked before it is approved, such as volunteers or sources. Unlike the noun, the verb carries no colloquial label, so it fits easily into formal writing about screening and approval.

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