versus
preposition
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
On foreign policy, particularly regarding the Israel–Hamas conflict, Quinnipiac reported that 41 percent of voters said Mamdani’s stance aligns most closely with their own, versus 26 percent for Cuomo and 13 percent for Sliwa.
—
Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025
The indictment alleged James collected thousands of dollars in rent and would have saved $17,837 over the life of the mortgage versus a loan at a higher rate.
—Pierre Thomas, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2025
That works out to 29 votes for offensive guys versus nine votes for defensive coaches, but only a 7-5 divide on offensive coaches named versus defensive coaches named.
—Nick Suss, Nashville Tennessean, 24 Oct. 2025
The games division, which launched in November 2021, is now focused on party games (a slew of which will be released this holiday season), narrative games, kids games and mainstream games, as well as games played directly on TVs versus mainly mobile titles.
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for versus
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025
The indictment alleged James collected thousands of dollars in rent and would have saved $17,837 over the life of the mortgage versus a loan at a higher rate.
—Pierre Thomas, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2025
That works out to 29 votes for offensive guys versus nine votes for defensive coaches, but only a 7-5 divide on offensive coaches named versus defensive coaches named.
—Nick Suss, Nashville Tennessean, 24 Oct. 2025
The games division, which launched in November 2021, is now focused on party games (a slew of which will be released this holiday season), narrative games, kids games and mainstream games, as well as games played directly on TVs versus mainly mobile titles.
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for versus
Cite this Entry
“Versus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/versus. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
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
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