versus

American  

[vur-suhs, -suhz] / ˈvɜr səs, -səz /

preposition

1. against (used especially to indicate an action brought by one party against another in a court of law, or to denote competing teams or players in a sports contest).

   Smith versus Jones; Army versus Navy.

2. as compared to or as one of two choices; in contrast with: v., vs.

   traveling by plane versus traveling by train.

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versus British  

/ ˈvɜːsəs /

preposition

1.  v.   vs.  (esp in a competition or lawsuit) against; in opposition to

2. as opposed to; in contrast with

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Etymology

Origin of versus

First recorded in 1400–50; Late Middle English, from Latin: literally, “towards,” i.e., “turned so as to face (something), opposite, over against,” originally past participle of vertere “to turn”; see verse

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

versus

Imagine a showdown versus Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka, another duo.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

An updated dashboard from Azhar and research analyst Nathan Warren shows how their gauges look now versus a year ago — trouble for the AI boom is looming if two gauges are in the red.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026

The WSJ Dollar Index was down 0.6%, as the greenback weakened 0.7% against the Japanese yen and the euro and as much as 1.2% versus the Swiss franc.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

The split does not fully fall along generational lines, but it often overlaps with the growing push by some younger candidates to oust veteran lawmakers, a debate over experience and seniority versus fresh blood.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

For now, all we have to worry about is a three-hundred-word essay from the point of view of one of these prisoners exploring the realm of belief versus the realm of knowledge.

From "Ask the Passengers" by A.S. King