us versus them
us versus them noun: a state of opposition between two groups, mostly based on group membership.
Noun
us versus them (uncountable)
- A state of opposition between two groups, mostly based on group membership.
- The inevitable result of disenfranchisement was that the disinterested would become even more disinterested; the schism “us” versus “them” would grow; and special groups—e.g., women members—would feel that they were inadequately represented.1968, "Annual Representative Meeting, Eastbourne, 1968", British Medical Journal Supplement, (7/6/1968), pp. 1–36. p. 24
- Is there “us versus them” polarization or ethnic or religious prejudice that might sanction or prompt violence toward an out-group?1981, Martha Crenshaw, “The Causes of Terrorism”, in Comparative Politics, (13) 4, (July 1981), pp. 379-99. p. 390
Forms of us versus them
| alternative form | us-versus-them |
|---|---|
| alternative form | us vs. them |
Origin of us versus them
us + versus + them
Questions about us versus them
- What does us versus them mean?
- Us versus them means a state of opposition between two groups, mostly based on group membership.
- What part of speech is us versus them?
- Us versus them is a noun.
Words near us versus them in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: us versus them (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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