versed
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of versed
1600–10; < Latin versātus busied, engaged ( see versatile), with -ed 2 for Latin -ātus
Explanation
To be versed in something is to know it well and have experience with it. If you’re well versed in Middle English literature, you know that Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales in 1475. Go you. Versed comes from the Latin word versari which means basically “to busy oneself, to be engaged.” If you’re versed (sounds like “verst”) in a subject, you’ve busied yourself with it and now you know it well. A history professor is versed in history. Someone with a massive comic book collection is probably versed in superheroes. Sometimes people say a person is well versed instead of versed, but either way, that person knows what they’re talking about.
Vocabulary lists containing versed
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Life of Pi
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Are You Experienced? Synonyms for "Expert"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
To critique any tool, though, you have to be well versed in it, says Daniel Zhao, chief economist at Glassdoor.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026
Duncan Wambugu, who is also a music professor well versed in copyright policy, was stunned by the dispute.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
I am more versed in my deficits than my strengths these days.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026
Ukraine's success in drone warfare has attracted the attention of rich Gulf states that have been targeted with the same types of Iranian-designed drones that Ukraine is now well versed in countering.
From Barron's ● May 15, 2026
They are reputed to be well versed in magical healing, divination, archery and astronomy.
From "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" by J.K. Rowling
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
