versus

[ vur-suhs, -suhz ]

/ ˈvɜr səs, -səz /

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See synonyms for versus on Thesaurus.com

preposition

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.

as compared to or as one of two choices; in contrast with: traveling by plane versus traveling by train.Abbreviations: v., vs.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH versus

verse, versus

Words nearby versus

vers libre, vers-librist, vers-libriste, verso, verst, versus, vert, vertebr-, vertebra, vertebral, vertebral canal

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use versus in a sentence

“Cultures” Versus “White Girls” As you can probably sense from my scare quotes, you can never be too careful these days.
Solange Smacks Jay Z, Legolas Slaps Bieber, and the Biggest Celebrity Feuds of the Year|Amy Zimmerman|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One of the more interesting splits in the book is the difference between your time at Manchester United versus at Everton.
Tim Howard’s Wall of Intensity|William O’Connor|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And even today there are despicable instances of hate crimes versus Jews in our country.
Muslims & Jews Unite vs. Abercrombie & Fitch|Dean Obeidallah|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A truly cautionary tale of a 77-year-old versus the Internet.
The Bill Cosby Controversy Stages of Grief|Amy Zimmerman|November 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Why not give her the opportunity to be an actual human being versus a celebrity?
Amanda Knox, Cub Reporter: The Convicted Murderer Is Now Writing Theater Reviews for a Small Seattle Paper|Justin Miller|November 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Mandibulae validae corneae arcuatae, intus apicem versus subsinuatae edentulae basin versus ciliatae vel submembranaceae.
Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia] [Volume 2 of 2]|Phillip Parker King
Minor punctuation and capitalization corrections have been made; the word “eat” appears in the original (versus “ate”).
The House That Jack Built and The Magpie|Anonymous
"It is intellect and artistic sensibility versus sensuousness," yawned Lady Thurwell.
The New Tenant|E. Phillips Oppenheim
The most powerful presentation of Theistic Evolution versus Orthodoxy that has ever appeared.
Unveiling a Parallel|Alice Ilgenfritz Jones and Ella Marchant
Expone e too versus afore: this present craft ys called Algorismus, in e quych we vse teen signys of Inde.
The Earliest Arithmetics in English|Anonymous

British Dictionary definitions for versus

versus

/ (ˈvɜːsəs) /

preposition

(esp in a competition or lawsuit) against; in opposition toAbbreviation: v, (esp US) vs

as opposed to; in contrast with

Word Origin for versus

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

versus

Origin of versus

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH versus

Words nearby versus

Words related to versus

How to use versus in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for versus

Word Origin for versus