Home / Dictionary / Compare

Compare Common

Compare has 7 different meanings across 2 categories:

Noun · Verb

Definitions
Noun
1

qualities that are comparable

"no comparison between the two books"

"beyond compare"

2

Comparison.

"She decided to compare her travel photos from last year with those she took during her recent trip to see how much her style had changed."

In plain English: A compare is not actually a noun; it is a verb that means to look at two things side by side to see how they are alike or different.

"The main difference between these two models is their price comparison."

Usage: The word "compare" is strictly a verb and has no valid usage as a noun; you must use the noun form "comparison" instead. Do not attempt to substitute "compare" for "comparison" in any sentence structure requiring a subject or object.

Verb
1

examine and note the similarities or differences of

"John compared his haircut to his friend's"

"We compared notes after we had both seen the movie"

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"

4

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

"The student struggled to compare good and better, but quickly learned that comparing well and best was even more confusing."

5

To assess the similarities and differences between two or more things ["to compare X with Y"]. Having made the comparison of X with Y, one might have found it similar to Y or different from Y.

"She decided to compare her new recipe with her grandmother's original version to see which one tasted better."

In plain English: To compare means to look at two things side by side to see how they are similar or different.

"We compared the prices at three different stores to find the best deal."

Usage: Use "compare" when you are examining both the similarities and differences between two or more items, such as saying "compare this model with that one." Avoid using it solely to mean "is like," which requires a different structure like "A is similar to B."

Example Sentences
"The main difference between these two models is their price comparison." noun
"We compared the prices at three different stores to find the best deal." verb
"We often compare prices before buying groceries to find the best deal." verb
"If you want to improve your writing, try comparing your draft with published articles." verb
"The twins are hard to tell apart because I cannot compare their faces without getting confused." verb
Related Terms
Broader Terms (hypernyms)
likeness analyze be study inflect
Narrower Terms (hyponyms)
analogize collate go

Origin

The word "compare" entered Middle English from the Old French comparer, which originally meant "to prepare or procure." It eventually replaced the native Old English verb metan to describe judging how similar two things are.

Rhyming Words
are aare rare hare gare care fare kare yare nare dare bare vare tare mare lare pare ware sare flare
Compare
Compare vs