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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Related Words

See translation.

Other Word 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”; 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

“It gives them their version of Vogue to see the beautiful faces and the clothes and the parties.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026

The biotech’s experimental cancer treatment is a genetically engineered version of the Herpes Simplex Virus type 1, the same virus that causes cold sores.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

But for an outlandish romance set in a theme-park version of Italy that features more slow-motion shots of food being tossed in the air than an ’80s McDonald’s commercial, it’s actually pretty charming.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

Musk chimed in on X that a future version, v15, will “far exceed human levels of safety, even in completely unsupervised and complex situations.”

From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026

Reyes looks like an older version of Alex, with graying black hair that’s buzzed down short.

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy

Related Words

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