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Synonyms

version

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

noun

  • versions
    plural
  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.


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 )

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Synonym Usage

See translation.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

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!"

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing version

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.

See Examples For:

The UK has also agreed to hand over blueprints for British-made components for the Scalp missile, a French version of the UK's Storm Shadow cruise missile.

From BBC Aug. 25, 2026

She even sang a parody version of her hit song "Jolene," renamed "Vaccine," while filming a video of her first injection.

From Barron's Aug. 25, 2026

The standard version will cost $79.99, while the ultimate version will cost $99.99.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 25, 2026

In our version, playing the unknown machine—investing in the person—both raises its payout and reveals what it is worth.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 25, 2026

Every time I blink, I find myself back in that paradise, at that family picnic, staring at the other version of Autumn, who smiles sinisterly at me.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

That’s what makes our songs Neo, and if we don’t like certain versions of it, we will do another recording of it and do some modifications.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 25, 2026

It’s the government itself that controls when it releases drafts and final versions of all these rules and regulations.

From Slate Aug. 25, 2026

Researchers believe future versions could become significantly smaller and more energy efficient, potentially compact enough to fit inside a shoebox.

From Science Daily Aug. 24, 2026

There will be plenty of competition in the digital finance realm, not just among coins, but also from things such as tokenized deposits or digitized versions of T-bills themselves.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 24, 2026

The same was true for many of my friends at Princeton, but I was also coming to understand that there were other versions of being black in America.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

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