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”; verse

Example Sentences

“We are seeing in-depth conversations at a senior strategic level about the attractiveness of Europe and home market listings versus going to the States,” Kerr said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

Middle East disruptions and reduced crude availability will separately lower global energy product throughput by 2% versus the fourth quarter.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 8, 2026

And Lucy, how do you see the Daisy in flashbacks versus the Daisy we meet in Gilead?

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

This implies 35% market penetration before factoring in any discontinuation rates, versus the 10% the company is at today.

From Barron's • Apr. 6, 2026

“Like the difference between hearing random noises versus hearing an orchestra,” I said.

From "The Thing About Jellyfish" by Ali Benjamin