compare
Americanverb (used with object)
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compares,
present (3rd person singular)
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compared,
past participle, past
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comparing
present participle
-
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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compares,
present (3rd person singular)
-
compared,
past participle, past
-
comparing
present participle
-
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:
"People used to compare who had spent more," dance teacher Yuan told AFP at a new retail space in central Shanghai filled with luxury handbags, belts and jewellery items -- all second hand.
From Barron's ● Oct. 18, 2026
His parents compare notes with others whose adult children are struggling to find work.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
Swain said this Santa Ana wind event doesn’t compare to those that fanned the flames of the Palisades and Eaton fires.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
The buried plastic films remained in the forest soil for a full year, allowing the team to compare decomposition under natural conditions with the carefully monitored laboratory experiments.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
"You really don't. My mother was an immortal goddess. You cannot compare her life to your brother's. No offense."
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
"But now everyone compares who got a better deal and spent less," the 24-year-old said at the two-storey warehouse-style store in the centre of the Chinese financial hub.
From Barron's ● Oct. 18, 2026
Beyaz compares PPARD's opposing roles to "the force" in Star Wars.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
San Diego compares favorably with other large urban school systems, although its competitors would point out that it has fewer students from low-income families than many large urban systems.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
When it comes to dominance, no one compares to the Real Madrid side who stormed to five successive European Cup triumphs after the competition began in 1955.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
That compares to about 15 percent in 1983.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
The acceleration was driven by a jump in gas prices, which rose 27.8% in September compared with a year earlier.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
But, he added, colleges are traditionally structured to boost economic returns for their students as compared with high-school graduates.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 19, 2026
Harrison compared Becerra’s campaign to Biden’s in 2024 before the then-president bowed out of the race.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026
Nearly 20 percent of Gen Z women consider themself to be a “strong feminist” compared with less than 7 percent of Gen Z men, according to The 19th/YouGov poll.
From Salon ● Oct. 19, 2026
But his physical transformation was nothing compared to the other changes in his life.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
"If you want to sell something to a person, you have to try to convince them by doing something," he said when comparing selling pictures to managing Premier League players.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
The incident drew comments on Facebook, comparing it to the films “El Mariachi” and “Desperado” in which Banderas plays a character who hides guns inside a guitar case.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
The latter doesn’t just compile your shopping list—it can buy the groceries for you, comparing prices at different store websites and placing a delivery order with the cheapest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
I know comparison is the thief of joy, but how do you stop comparing yourself to the people around you?
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
Bailey notes his place in the middle of an article that is comparing the interplay of light and shadow in a particular tent to Indonesian puppet theater before putting the book down.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
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