versus
ˈvɜːrsəs
The word that puts two things in the ring
The picture Two things are stood facing each other and one stroke is drawn between them. VERSUS sets two against each other, AND ties them together on the same side.
Where the picture shows up in versus
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two teams matched
Tonight's game is Korea versus Japan.
təˈnaɪts ɡeɪm ɪz kəˈriːə ˈvɜːrsəs dʒəˈpæn
Tonight's match is Korea against Japan.
on the scoreboard, two country names sit left and right of a single stroke
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two standards weighed
The real question is quality versus price.
ðə ˈriːəl ˈkwestʃən ɪz ˈkwɑːləti ˈvɜːrsəs praɪs
The real question is quality or price.
a lump marked quality and a price tag sit on the two pans of a tipping scale
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two sides in court
The case is Smith versus the city.
ðə keɪs ɪz smɪθ ˈvɜːrsəs ðə ˈsɪti
The case is Smith against the city.
on the case file cover two names face each other across one stroke
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two options compared
We compared working from home versus the office.
wiː kəmˈperd ˈwɜːrkɪŋ frʌm hoʊm ˈvɜːrsəs ði ˈɑːfɪs
We compared working at home with working at the office.
a photo of the home desk and one of the office desk are pinned side by side
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one of the two must be chosen
It always comes down to speed versus safety.
ɪt ˈɔːlweɪz kʌmz daʊn tuː spiːd ˈvɜːrsəs ˈseɪfti
In the end it is speed or safety.
feet stand where the path forks and have not yet moved onto either side
All of it in one picture
versus is one move: set two things facing each other. Stand two teams there and it is a match; stand two standards there and it is the hard choice; stand two names there and it is a court case. Stand two ways of working there and you are weighing which is better, and stand speed against safety and you are at the point of choosing one.