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compare
[ kuhm-pair ]
verb (used with object)
- to examine (two or more objects, ideas, people, etc.) in order to note similarities and differences:
If you compare these three pieces of cloth, you'll see they're all similar in weight.
It's difficult to directly compare the governments of two very different nations.
- to consider or describe as similar; liken:
“Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?”
- Grammar. to form or display the degrees of comparison of (an adjective or adverb).
verb (used without object)
- to be worthy of comparison; be held equal:
Dekker's plays cannot compare with Shakespeare's.
- to appear in a similar standing:
His recital certainly compares with the one he gave last year.
- to differ in quality or accomplishment as specified:
Their development compares poorly with that of neighbor nations.
Can we all agree that most people want fair treatment and to compare favorably with others?
- to make a comparison:
The only way we can say which product is better is to compare.
noun
Her beauty is beyond compare.
compare
/ kəmˈpɛə /
verb
- trusually foll byto to regard or represent as analogous or similar; liken
the general has been compared to Napoleon
- trusually foll bywith to examine in order to observe resemblances or differences
to compare rum with gin
- intrusually foll bywith to be of the same or similar quality or value
gin compares with rum in alcoholic content
- intr to bear a specified relation of quality or value when examined
this car compares badly with the other
- intrusually foll bywith to correspond to
profits were £3.2 million. This compares with £2.6 million last year
- tr grammar to give the positive, comparative, and superlative forms of (an adjective)
- archaic.intr to compete or vie
- compare notesto exchange opinions
noun
- comparison or analogy (esp in the phrase beyond compare )
Usage Note
Derived Forms
- comˈparer, noun
Other Words From
- com·par·er noun
- in·ter·com·pare verb (used with object) intercompared intercomparing
- pre·com·pare verb (used with object) precompared precomparing
- re·com·pare verb (used with object) recompared recomparing
- un·com·pared adjective
- well-com·pared adjective
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of compare1
Idioms and Phrases
- compare apples and / with / to oranges, to compare things that are fundamentally different from each other, usually used to suggest that the things cannot or should not be directly compared:
Comparing per pupil costs in public schools to tuition costs in private schools is comparing apples and oranges.
- compare apples to / with / and apples, to compare things that are similar to each other in a basic or fundamental way:
Let’s compare apples to apples and look at the Professional package versus the Plus package.
- compared to / with, considered in relation to; contrasted with:
The report investigated whether electric buses were cost-effective compared to traditional diesel buses.
Compared with other video editing software, our program offers many more features.
- compare and contrast. compare and contrast.
- compare notes. note ( def 32 ).
More idioms and phrases containing compare
In addition to the idiom beginning with compare , also see beyond compare .Example Sentences
That means the Globes are able to nominate 36 acting performances in total, compared with the 20 at the Oscars, allowing them to spread the wealth and more easily avoid the perception of snubs.
One insider compared the atmosphere around the president-elect to "Game of Thrones," with various factions jockeying for power via their recommendations.
The rain is nothing compared to any disruption in his routine.
While this technique might work for some people, it's important to test it in larger randomized controlled studies to better understand how it works and compares to other therapies in the field, Brownstone said.
If Hawaii were a country and were compared to all 203 other countries and territories around the world, its 1990 LE would rank fourth globally, the highest LE in the US.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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