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compare

com·pare

UK/kəmˈpɛə/ US/kəmˈpɛɚ/ common
verb (4) noun (1)

verb

1.

examine and note the similarities or differences of

  • “John compared his haircut to his friend”
  • “;”
2.

be comparable

  • “This car does not compare with our line of Mercedes”
3.

consider or describe as similar, equal, or analogous

  • “We can compare the Han dynasty to the Romans”
  • “You cannot equate success in financial matters with greed”
Synonyms
4.

to form the comparative or superlative form on an adjective or adverb

noun

1.

qualities that are comparable

  • “no comparison between the two books”
  • “beyond compare”
Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English comparen, from Old French comparer, from Latin comparare (“to prepare, procure”), from compar (“like or equal to another”), from com- + par (“equal”). Displaced native Old English metan (“to compare,” also “to measure”).

Phrases

  • beyond compare
  • compare and contrast
  • compare and despair
  • compare apples to apples
  • compare apples with apples
  • compare notes

Related words

Word family

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.