$re = '/\bv(\d+\.)+\d+\b/';
$str = 'ABCDEF v3.4.2 GHI KLMN
ABCDEF v33.44.222 GHI KLMN
ABCDEF v3.4.2.1 GHI KLMN
DoNotv3.4.2CaptureThis
Do-v3.4.2-CaptureThis';
preg_match_all($re, $str, $matches, PREG_SET_ORDER, 0);
// Print the entire match result
var_dump($matches);
Please keep in mind that these code samples are automatically generated and are not guaranteed to work. If you find any syntax errors, feel free to submit a bug report. For a full regex reference for PHP, please visit: http://php.net/manual/en/ref.pcre.php