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

The next fortnight feels like it will be Jannik Sinner versus the rest.

From BBC • May 23, 2026

“It’s not because he’s 14 versus 9 inches tall, or because he’s green or has long ears,” Scott says.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

Pratt’s campaign has slightly more money left to spend on the race than the other leading candidates, at $1.42 million, versus Bass’ approximately $1.32 million, Miller’s nearly $1.3 million and Raman’s $1 million.

From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026

A group of five widely followed private-credit ETFs have lost 6.3% since the end of last year’s third quarter, on average, versus a 12.5% average loss for a package of widely followed private-equity ETFs.

From MarketWatch • May 22, 2026

It was a battle of strength, whales versus robots, with the iceberg caught in between.

From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown