versus

preposition

ver·​sus ˈvər-səs  -səz 

1

: against

2

: in contrast to or as the alternative of

free trade versus protection

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Abbreviating Versus

In a number of areas the English language is possessed of an embarrassment of riches, with multiple synonyms or abbreviations for a word. One such case is versus, which is often written in a shortened form. You may choose between vs, vs., and v. Take care, when writing the word out in full, that you distinguish between versus (a preposition meaning “against”) and verses (“lines of metrical writing”).

Examples of versus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Rocky Hill Police Communication Center received 911 calls around 5:20 p.m. on Sunday reporting a motor vehicle versus pedestrian collision in the area of 1864 Silas Deane Highway, according to Sergeant Jeffrey Foss-Rugan of the Rocky Hill Police Department. —Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 13 Jan. 2025

In the meta-analysis of the 12 studies that compared muscular strength improvement in NMES plus RT groups versus those who did conventional RT, the researchers found that the standardized mean difference (SMD) across all studies was 0.31. —New Atlas, 13 Jan. 2025

As a group, HQ Portfolio stocks provided better returns with less risk versus the benchmark index; less of a roller-coaster ride as evident in HQ Portfolio performance metrics. —Trefis Team, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025

But by and large, the box office story of the past month has been the lion versus the hedgehog — until this weekend. —Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 12 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Medieval Latin, towards, against, from Latin, adverb, so as to face, from past participle of vertere to turn

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

versus

preposition

ver·​sus ˈvər-səs  -səz 

1

: against sense 1a

the champion versus the challenger

2

: in contrast to or as the alternative of

the tastiness of store-bought versus homemade cookies