compare
Americanverb (used with object)
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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.
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to consider or describe as similar; liken.
“Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?”
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Grammar. to form or display the degrees of comparison of (an adjective or adverb).
verb (used without object)
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to be worthy of comparison; be held equal.
Dekker's plays cannot compare with Shakespeare's.
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to appear in a similar standing.
His recital certainly compares with the one he gave last year.
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to differ in quality or accomplishment as specified.
Their development compares poorly with that of neighbor nations.
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Can we all agree that most people want fair treatment and to compare favorably with others?
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to make a comparison.
The only way we can say which product is better is to compare.
noun
idioms
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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.
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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.
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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.
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compare and contrast. see compare and contrast.
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compare notes. note.
verb
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to regard or represent as analogous or similar; liken
the general has been compared to Napoleon
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to examine in order to observe resemblances or differences
to compare rum with gin
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to be of the same or similar quality or value
gin compares with rum in alcoholic content
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(intr) to bear a specified relation of quality or value when examined
this car compares badly with the other
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to correspond to
profits were £3.2 million. This compares with £2.6 million last year
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(tr) grammar to give the positive, comparative, and superlative forms of (an adjective)
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archaic (intr) to compete or vie
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to exchange opinions
noun
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
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comparernoun
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intercompareverb (used with object)
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precompareverb (used with object)
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recompareverb (used with object)
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uncomparedadjective
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well-comparedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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comparesimple
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comparessimple
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have comparedperfect
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has comparedperfect
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am comparingprogressive
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are comparingprogressive
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is comparingprogressive
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have been comparingperfect progressive
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has been comparingperfect progressive
Past
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comparedsimple
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had comparedperfect
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was comparingprogressive
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were comparingprogressive
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had been comparingperfect progressive
Future
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
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.
Vocabulary lists containing compare
The Language of Standardized Tests, List 1
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Academic Vocabulary: Core Tier 2 Words, List 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
With Argentina, England, France and Spain just two games from glory, we compare how the four semi-finalists have performed so far to get an idea of who could lift the World Cup this weekend.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
Let’s look at forward P/E ratios to see how those compare with five-year average valuations.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 12, 2026
First, count all your trades, not just the winners, and compare how you did against a broad market benchmark.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
That has made it difficult to directly compare them and determine which are the most useful.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 8, 2026
I tried to remember what soap opera heroines said to their lovers, but I couldn’t compare this boy in shorts and knee socks to the manly Ricardos and Armandos.
From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago
That compares with an average of 25 over the seven days prior to that, Kpler said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
Van der Velden compares Tilly to a character like Cinderella.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
An odds ratio compares the odds of an outcome between groups.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026
That compares to a typical rise of £120 for those getting a new deal between the end of 2022 and end of 2024.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
But, in my opinion, none of that compares to what’s right in front of me.
From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila
American drillers are on track this year to produce some 14 million barrels of oil a day, compared with about 5 million barrels in 2008.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
In the first six months of the year they were down 26% compared to last year.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
Kpler’s MarineTraffic data service reported Monday that commercial crossings through the strait fell by around 52% over the weekend compared with earlier this month, with just 12 sanctioned crossings observed on Sunday.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
Max has been compared to China's WeChat, combining social media and messaging functions with access to government services, a digital ID card system, banking and payments.
From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026
It had been all I could afford, but I hated it suddenly for how childish it looked compared to the elegant dove-gray ascot Frankie wore, like something you’d tie onto a pet.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
Prof Martin McKee from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine has spent his career comparing different countries' healthcare systems.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
A series of improved measures developed by Nations Indexes can give a more nuanced answer by comparing one with another.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
By carefully reviewing decades of published research and comparing measurements collected at different temperatures, Lambie assembled a more complete picture of gallium's behavior.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026
“Gordon Ramsay’s Secret Service,” a follow-up series that debuted in 2025, pushed the premise further still: undercover helpers, surveillance, insiders and Ramsay comparing the operation to going “full on MI6” with restaurants.
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026
But no one was out here except for my brother, comparing his two pets and choosing a winner to take home.
From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce
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.
