version

American  

[vur-zhuhn, -shuhn] / ˈvɜr ʒən, -ʃən /

noun

versions plural

1. a particular account of some matter, as from one person or source, contrasted with some other account.

   two different versions of the accident.

   Synonyms:

   impression, story

2. a particular form or variant of something.

   a modern version of an antique.

3. a translation.

4. Often Version a translation of the Bible or a part of it.

5. Medicine/Medical. the act of turning a child in the uterus so as to bring them into a more favorable position for delivery.

6. Pathology. an abnormal direction of the axis of the uterus or other organ.

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version British  

/ ˈvɜːʃən, -ʒən /

noun

1. an account of a matter from a certain point of view, as contrasted with others

   his version of the accident is different from the policeman's

2. a translation, esp of the Bible, from one language into another

3. a variant form of something; type

4. an adaptation, as of a book or play into a film

5. med manual turning of a fetus to correct an irregular position within the uterus

6. pathol an abnormal displacement of the uterus characterized by a tilting forwards ( anteversion ), backwards ( retroversion ), or to either side ( lateroversion )

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Synonym Usage

See translation.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• preversion
  noun
• versional
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• versions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of version

First recorded in 1575–85; from Medieval Latin versiōn- (stem of versiō ) “a turning,” equivalent to vers(us) (past participle of vertere “to turn”; see verse) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

If the professor says, “Read the complete works of Shakespeare” and you go for the Cliff Notes, you could say you read a short version of the Bard’s work, but really, you're cheating. A version is a specific edition or form of something. Version derives from the Latin vertere, "to turn." Think of it as someone taking a turn, as in an adaptation of a work of art or literature. "Can you believe they made an animated version of The Sinking of the Lusitania?" Or someone giving their own account of an event. "Your version of what happened the night we got locked in the storage unit is totally different from mine!"

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

version versions

“This is just the first version of a premium product that we are launching,” Rao said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

Even more frightening is the fact he's rebooting for version 2.0.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

Its setting is much older, a version of medieval Japan where humans are crafting iron into firearms and beasts can talk, but nobody wants to listen to each other.

From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026

The results indicate that the local geometric components of spacetime obey a version of the first law of thermodynamics.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026

I can’t bear this serious version of him.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

At the tennis class, almost all moms echo versions of this sentiment: Dedicating time for themselves makes them better moms.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

I decided to try both the blood and saliva versions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

Some of you may be thinking I’ve mischaracterized the Bowdens since past versions of “Cape Fear” establish Max as the nightmare.

From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026

The figure also shows that the impact of AI may be bigger for higher paying jobs, a departure from recent versions of automation that hit middle-income workers harder.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026

But the recognition that these were the competing options, the contested versions, if you will, of what the core legacy of the American Revolution truly meant, first became visible in the summer of 1790.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Related Words

• adaptation
• form
• history
• interpretation
• rendition
• report
• story
• tale
• translation
• variant