Versailles

American  

[ver-sahy, ver-, ver-sah-y^uh] / vɛrˈsaɪ, vər-, vɛrˈsɑ yə /

noun

1. a city in and the capital of Yvelines, in N France, about 12 miles (19 km) SW of Paris: palace of the French kings; peace treaty between the Allies and Germany 1919.

---

Versailles British  

/ -ˈseɪlz, vɛəˈsaɪ, vɛrsɑj /

noun

1. a city in N central France, near Paris: site of an elaborate royal residence built for Louis XIV; seat of the French kings (1682–1789). Pop: 85 726 (1999)

2. 1. the treaty of 1919 imposed upon Germany by the Allies (except for the US and the Soviet Union): the most important of the five peace treaties that concluded World War I

   2. another name for (the Treaty of) Paris of 1783 See Paris 1

---

Versailles Cultural  

1. City in northern France about ten miles southwest of Paris.

---

Discover More

The Treaty of Versailles, signed in 1919, officially ended World War I.

It is the site of the Palace of Versailles, which was built by King Louis xiv in the seventeenth century and was the royal residence for over one hundred years.

The French Revolution began in Versailles, when mobs stormed the palace.

Example Sentences

The mayor of Versailles said he was sorry to see Leribault go.

From Barron's • Feb. 25, 2026

"By providing the most up-to-date global methane budget through 2023, this research clarifies why atmospheric methane rose so rapidly," said study lead author Philippe Ciais of the University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines.

From Science Daily • Feb. 10, 2026

Her task was to produce a son and appear, as she seemed to Burke when he saw her at Versailles in the mid-1770s, as a “delightful vision . . . glittering like the morning star.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 8, 2026

Built in 2008, it features parquet de Versailles flooring, 18th-century French Louis XV–carved stone fireplaces, and hand-carved marble bathtubs.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 5, 2026

It reminds Lourdes of a photograph she saw once of the famous Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles with its endless ricocheting light.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García