version

American  

[vur-zhuhn, -shuhn] / ˈvɜr ʒən, -ʃən /

noun

1. a particular account of some matter, as from one person or source, contrasted with some other account.

   two different versions of the accident.

   Synonyms:

   impression, story

2. a particular form or variant of something.

   a modern version of an antique.

3. a translation.

4. Often Version a translation of the Bible or a part of it.

5. Medicine/Medical. the act of turning a child in the uterus so as to bring them into a more favorable position for delivery.

6. Pathology. an abnormal direction of the axis of the uterus or other organ.

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version British  

/ ˈvɜːʃən, -ʒən /

noun

1. an account of a matter from a certain point of view, as contrasted with others

   his version of the accident is different from the policeman's

2. a translation, esp of the Bible, from one language into another

3. a variant form of something; type

4. an adaptation, as of a book or play into a film

5. med manual turning of a fetus to correct an irregular position within the uterus

6. pathol an abnormal displacement of the uterus characterized by a tilting forwards ( anteversion ), backwards ( retroversion ), or to either side ( lateroversion )

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Synonym Usage

See translation.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• preversion
  noun
• versional
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of version

First recorded in 1575–85; from Medieval Latin versiōn- (stem of versiō ) “a turning,” equivalent to vers(us) (past participle of vertere “to turn”; see verse) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

If the professor says, “Read the complete works of Shakespeare” and you go for the Cliff Notes, you could say you read a short version of the Bard’s work, but really, you're cheating. A version is a specific edition or form of something. Version derives from the Latin vertere, "to turn." Think of it as someone taking a turn, as in an adaptation of a work of art or literature. "Can you believe they made an animated version of The Sinking of the Lusitania?" Or someone giving their own account of an event. "Your version of what happened the night we got locked in the storage unit is totally different from mine!"

Example Sentences

The S&P 500’s equal-weighted version has now gained more than 8% this year, edging ahead of the market-cap version’s 7.9%.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026

Claude Fable 5 is a version of Anthropic's Claude Mythos, an AI program which caused a stir among technology, finance, and government leaders when it was released privately in April for previewing and testing.

From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026

In parallel, Anthropic is offering an unrestricted version, Claude Mythos 5, to companies and organizations that already have access to this model family -- including cybersecurity partners enrolled in its Project Glasswing program.

From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026

The only problem with that is that while Cornell, Thayil and Yamamoto all individually took turns playing in the Shemps to make money, that version of the band never performed in public.

From Salon • Jun. 9, 2026

“Is the pope Catholic?” is another popular version of this type of question, but new ones are invented all the time.

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood

Related Words

• adaptation
• form
• history
• interpretation
• rendition
• report
• story
• tale
• translation
• variant