compare

American  

[kuhm-pair] / kəmˈpɛər /

verb (used with object)

• compares,
  present (3rd person singular)
• compared,
  past participle,  past
• comparing
  present participle

1. 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.

2. to consider or describe as similar; liken.

   “Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?”

3. Grammar. to form or display the degrees of comparison of (an adjective or adverb).

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verb (used without object)

• compares,
  present (3rd person singular)
• compared,
  past participle,  past
• comparing
  present participle

1. to be worthy of comparison; be held equal.

   Dekker's plays cannot compare with Shakespeare's.

2. to appear in a similar standing.

   His recital certainly compares with the one he gave last year.

3. to differ in quality or accomplishment as specified.

   Their development compares poorly with that of neighbor nations.

4. to vie; rival.

   Can we all agree that most people want fair treatment and to compare favorably with others?

5. to make a comparison.

   The only way we can say which product is better is to compare.

noun

1. comparison.

   Her beauty is beyond compare.

idioms

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. compare and contrast. see compare and contrast.

5. compare notes. note.

compare British  

/ kəmˈpɛə /

verb

1. to regard or represent as analogous or similar; liken

   the general has been compared to Napoleon

2. to examine in order to observe resemblances or differences

   to compare rum with gin

3. to be of the same or similar quality or value

   gin compares with rum in alcoholic content

4. (intr) to bear a specified relation of quality or value when examined

   this car compares badly with the other

5. to correspond to

   profits were £3.2 million. This compares with £2.6 million last year

6. (tr) grammar to give the positive, comparative, and superlative forms of (an adjective)

7. archaic (intr) to compete or vie

8. to exchange opinions

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noun

1. comparison or analogy (esp in the phrase beyond compare )

compare More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing compare

• beyond compare

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Usage

The traditional rule about which preposition to use after compare states that compare should be followed by to when it points out likenesses or similarities between two apparently dissimilar persons or things: She compared his handwriting to knotted string. Compare should be followed by with, the rule says, when it points out similarities or differences between two entities of the same general class: The critic compared the paintings in the exhibit with magazine photographs. This rule is by no means always observed, however, even in formal speech and writing. The usual practice is to employ to for likenesses between members of different classes: A language may be compared to a living organism. But when the comparison is between members of the same category, both to and with are used: The article compares the Chicago of today with (or to ) the Chicago of the 1890s. Following the past participle compared, either to or with is used regardless of whether differences or similarities are stressed or whether the things compared belong to the same or different classes: Compared with (or to ) the streets of 18th-century London, New York's streets are models of cleanliness and order.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• comparer
  noun
• intercompare
  verb (used with object)
• precompare
  verb (used with object)
• recompare
  verb (used with object)
• uncompared
  adjective
• well-compared
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• comparing
  present
• compared
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• compare
  simple
• compares
  simple
• have compared
  perfect
• has compared
  perfect
• am comparing
  progressive
• are comparing
  progressive
• is comparing
  progressive
• have been comparing
  perfect progressive
• has been comparing
  perfect progressive

Past

• compared
  simple
• had compared
  perfect
• was comparing
  progressive
• were comparing
  progressive
• had been comparing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will compare
  simple
• will have compared
  perfect
• will be comparing
  progressive
• will have been comparing
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of compare

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English comparen, from Latin comparāre “to place together, match,” verb derivative of compar “alike, matching” ( see com-, par ¹); replacing Middle English comperen, from Old French comperer, from Latin

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Explanation

To compare is to look at two things and see how they are similar and different. People compare all the time. If you look at two products and compare prices, you're looking for the better bargain. It is hard to compare who was the better athlete, Michael Jordan or Billie Jean King, because they played different sports. At a museum, you can compare different paintings. If you like your math teacher better than your history teacher, you're comparing the two. If a TV shows is bad, you could say "it doesn't compare" to your favorite show.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

compare compares compared comparing

That meant looking beyond monthly premiums to compare total annual costs, including deductibles and prescription drug expenses, as well as checking pharmacies.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 12, 2026

From there, I’ll look at signatures, I’ll compare it to other things in the artist’s body of work and see if it makes sense.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 12, 2026

Its annual forecasts compare with analysts’ estimate of 19.81 billion euros for revenue and a 24.9% margin, according to Vara Research.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 10, 2026

This variation gave researchers an opportunity to compare Alzheimer's outcomes among older adults who had received different formulations.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 8, 2026

I compare her to one of those destructive rivers that, when they become enraged, flood the plains, ruin the trees and buildings, raising the earth from one spot and dropping it onto another.

From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli

The cost-income target of below 38% compares with the Barclays forecast of 39.7%.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 10, 2026

That compares with 2,289 cases during all of 2025, and is the highest level recorded by the CDC since 1991.

From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026

They changed the molar ratio, which compares the number of molecules of each substance, from 1:4000 to 1:8000.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2026

That compares to a core profit margin of between one and three percent which the Munich-based manufacturer expected back in June, itself a cut on expectations at the start of the year.

From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2026

"I . . . uh . . . I'm doing an experiment. You know—how feeding meat to an animal compares with just giving it pellets and stuff."

From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville

By examining how the protein regulates gene activity in muscle compared with other tissues, scientists may gain a better understanding of the mechanisms that support regeneration while limiting the risk of uncontrolled cell growth.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 13, 2026

The networking-equipment company on Thursday posted a first-quarter profit of $4.55 billion, or $1.14 a share, compared with $2.86 billion, or 72 cents a share, the year earlier.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 12, 2026

The researchers then compared these findings with geological information from the Macrostat database.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 12, 2026

Raman, who takes office on Dec. 14, won with nearly 55% of the vote, compared with about 45% for Bass, according to the most recent results.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 12, 2026

The boy was describing me as aptly as you had when you compared me to Petronius.

From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman

With the medications finally entered, the counselor began the time-consuming task of comparing Part D plans, including Humana Basic Rx Plan and Blue MedicareRx Value Plus, along with their star ratings.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 12, 2026

He cultivated an outsider status, famously comparing his comfort in the legal profession to “an imperfectly housebroken pet,” in a 2001 interview with the New Yorker.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 12, 2026

The researchers considered the composition of the underlying metal, chemical changes at the surface, and the three-dimensional geometry of the deformation before comparing the results with different possible explanations.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 11, 2026

“I’d say we’ve had probably double the travelers and double the spending,” said Gar Engman, owner of TeePee Curios, a novelty shop in Tucumcari, N.M., comparing this year with 2025.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 11, 2026

Khrushchev angrily rejected Kennedy’s right to impose a quarantine, comparing Americans to lawless pirates.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

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Related Words

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• equal
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