versus

[vur-suhs, -suhz]

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.

versus

/ ˈvɜːsəs /

preposition

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

2. as opposed to; in contrast with

Word History and Origins

Origin of versus¹

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”; verse

Word History and Origins

Origin of versus¹

C15: from Latin: turned (in the direction of), opposite, from vertere to turn

Example Sentences

"Our materials could withstand 20 times more pressure compared to those produced with previous methods, while exhibiting only 20% shrinkage versus 60-90%," says PhD student and first author Yiming Ji.

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Breadth, as measured by advancing versus declining issues, has remained poor.

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It said 18A offers up to 15% better performance per watt and 30% better chip density versus the prior Intel 3 process.

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Oracle shares are 17% below their post-earnings peak, prompting questions about a buying opportunity versus legitimate concerns.

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That has likely taken some of the shine off of the stocks — which had both been trading at multiyear highs after the initial reports — “as we imagine some were betting on a quicker, cleaner offer versus the timeline it could take to line up financing,” Prentiss wrote.

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