compare

[ kuhm-pair ]

See synonyms for compare on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),com·pared, com·par·ing.

to examine (two or more objects, ideas, people, etc.) in order to note similarities and differences: to compare two pieces of cloth; to compare the governments of two 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),com·pared, com·par·ing.

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.
to vie; rival: 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

comparison: Her beauty is beyond compare.

Idioms about compare

compare and contrast. See entry at compare and contrast.
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.
compare notes. note (def. 32).

Origin of compare

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English comparen, from Latin comparāre “to place together, match,” verbal derivative of compar “alike, matching” (see com-, par¹); replacing Middle English comperen, from Old French comperer, from Latin

usage note For compare

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 words from compare

com·par·er, noun
in·ter·com·pare, verb (used with object), in·ter·com·pared, in·ter·com·par·ing.
pre·com·pare, verb (used with object), pre·com·pared, pre·com·par·ing.
re·com·pare, verb (used with object), re·com·pared, re·com·par·ing.
un·com·pared, adjective
well-com·pared, adjective

Words that may be confused with compare

compare , contrast

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use compare in a sentence

Instead of constantly comparing ourselves to each other, we should be able to see different body types simply with veneration.
Let’s Get Rid of ‘Plus-Size’ for Good | Emily Shire | November 12, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Smiley, meanwhile, tried to tamp down fears by comparing the Ebola outbreak to the SARS outbreak of 2003.
Fact-Checking the Sunday Shows: October 19 | PunditFact.com | October 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Amanda Hess at Slate criticized attempts at comparing Solo and Rice and the responses of their two different sports leagues.
Should Twitter Suspend LGBT Engineer Accused Of Raping Her Wife? | Emily Shire | October 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The study did not limit itself to comparing views of religious and non-religious people.
It’s Official: Religion Doesn’t Make You More Moral | Elizabeth Picciuto | September 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
So why are his advisers suddenly comparing him to the coldest of Cold Warriors?
Rand Paul Gives War a Chance | Olivia Nuzzi | August 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

There was a great comparing of papers, and turning over of leaves, by Fogg and Perker, after this statement of profit and loss.
The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, v. 2(of 2) | Charles Dickens
She found herself comparing the two men, and she was rather surprised at the difference she could distinguish.
The Homesteader | Oscar Micheaux
Of course, you understand that measurement of anything is the comparing of it with some established standard.
The Wonder Book of Knowledge | Various
Now the Chaplain pauses: he is comparing the number of the wooden block hanging outside the cell with that on the letter.
Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist | Alexander Berkman
In comparing the first three stanzas with the Teseide, we must reverse the order of the stanzas in the latter poem.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 1 (of 7) -- Romaunt of the Rose; Minor Poems | Geoffrey Chaucer

British Dictionary definitions for compare

compare

/ (kəmˈpɛə) /

verb

(tr usually foll by to) to regard or represent as analogous or similar; liken: the general has been compared to Napoleon
(tr usually foll by with) to examine in order to observe resemblances or differences: to compare rum with gin

(intr usually foll by with) 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
(intr usually foll by with) 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)
(intr) archaic to compete or vie
compare notes to exchange opinions

noun

comparison or analogy (esp in the phrase beyond compare)

Origin of compare

C15: from Old French comparer, from Latin comparāre to couple together, match, from compar equal to one another, from com- together + par equal; see par

Derived forms of compare

comparer, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with compare

compare

In addition to the idiom beginning with compare

compare notes

also see:

beyond compare

Browse