compare

play

verb com·pare \kəm-ˈper\

Definition of compare

compared

;

comparing

transitive verb
1 : to represent as similar : liken Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? — William Shakespeare
2a : to examine the character or qualities of especially in order to discover resemblances or differences compare your responses with the answersb : to view in relation to He is tall compared to me. The test was easy compared with the last one.
3 : to inflect or modify (an adjective or adverb) according to the degrees of comparison : state the positive, comparative, and superlative forms of
intransitive verb
1 : to bear being compared The two don't even begin to compare. We bought two different brands of peanut butter to see how they compare.
2 : to make comparisons If we now go to Italy at all, we go not to learn, but to compare. — Norman Douglas
3 : to be equal or alike Nothing compares to you.

See compare defined for English-language learners

See compare defined for kids

Examples of compare in a Sentence

The singer's voice has been compared to that of Elvis.
We each did the homework assignment, then compared answers.
I compared several bicycles before buying one.

Recent Examples of compare from the Web

The live photos are electronically compared to the travel document photo the passenger already has on file with the airline, such as a visa or passport photo.

— mary wisniewski, chicagotribune.com, "At O'Hare, some passengers undergo face scans in test of security program," 20 July 2017
While Colombia is El Dorado compared with Venezuela, economic growth is slow and the unemployment rate is 9.4%.

— The Economist, "From cutting hair to turning tricksVenezuelans sell sex in Colombia to survive," 20 July 2017
Compared with the results of the national exit polls measuring voter preferences in last year’s election, the ABC/Washington Post survey found more erosion for Republicans among women than among men.

— ronald brownstein, The Atlantic, "Where Republicans Are Losing Ground," 19 July 2017
Waters, who has compared the Israeli government to Nazi Germany, countered that his criticisms were political, not religious, in a Facebook post at that time.

— sergio carmona, Jewish Journal, "South Florida pro-Israel groups slam Pink Floyd legend Roger Water's controversial views," 19 July 2017
According to freshly released military data, U.S. and coalition aircraft have dropped or expended at least 1,634 munitions in Afghanistan this year, compared to just 298 and 545 in 2015 and 2016, respectively.

— james hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: After Senate bill falls apart, Republicans don’t have the votes to repeal Obamacare," 18 July 2017
A series of things led to the fact that our brains increased very, very fast, even compared to other primates.

— jessica gross, Longreads, "Why Are Humans So Curious?," 18 July 2017
Gamers were also gabbing a little less, over-performing by 56 percent compared with last year’s 59 percent.

— vanityfair.com, "Your Jokes About Ed Sheeran Only Make Game of Thrones Stronger," 17 July 2017
The trend began in 2013, after photos of Xi and former President Barack Obama were compared to an image of Pooh walking alongside his more slender buddy, Tigger.

— brigit katz, Smithsonian, "Why Censors Are Targeting Winnie-the-Pooh in China," 17 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'compare.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of compare

Middle English, from Anglo-French comparer, from Latin comparare to couple, compare, from compar like, from com- + par equal

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

Synonym Discussion of compare

compare, contrast, collate mean to set side by side in order to show differences and likenesses. compare implies an aim of showing relative values or excellences by bringing out characteristic qualities whether similar or divergent. compared the convention facilities of the two cities contrast implies an emphasis on differences. contrasted the computerized system with the old filing cards collate implies minute and critical inspection in order to note points of agreement or divergence. data from districts around the country will be collated

compare

noun com·pare

Definition of compare

: the possibility of comparing beauty beyond compare; also : something with which to be compared a city without compare

See compare defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of compare from the Web

More: How Indiana's black homicide rate compares to other states More: In Fishers, suicides outnumber homicides.

— fatima hussein, Indianapolis Star, "Indy to receive Justice Department help for crime fighting," 20 June 2017
None of these compares to the Tri-State disaster in terms of casualties (695) and path length (219 miles).

— tom skilling, chicagotribune.com, "Ask Tom: What was the 1925 Tri-State Tornado like?," 16 June 2017
Certainly nothing he's ever done before compares in its absolute awfulness to his latest, The Mummy.

— todd mccarthy, The Hollywood Reporter, "Critic's Notebook: After 'The Mummy,' Tom Cruise Needs to Get Back to Acting," 9 June 2017
Q: Generally speaking, how do the costs of a prefab home compare to those of a traditional home?

— sandy deneau dunham, The Seattle Times, "A Q&A on prefabricated homes," 7 June 2017
Nursing home compare link: click here Location: Strongsville Total hours per resident day: 3.08 RN hours per resident day: 0.40 LPN hours per resident day: 0.78 CNA hours per resident day: 1.90 Overall star rating as of May 2017: 2 Ownership:

— cleveland.com, "See 25 low-staffed nursing homes in Northeast Ohio: A Critical Choice," 6 June 2017
How does Honnold’s climb compare to the Dawn Wall climb?

— susan steade, The Mercury News, "El Capitan climb: What’s free soloing? Didn’t Alex Honnold do this before?," 5 June 2017
Still, thanks to Ms. De Waal’s smart performance in that very rangy role, and the delicious compare-and-contrast work of Ms. Parry and Tessa Auberjonois as the Elphaba and Glinda of Sussex, the play’s emotional architecture holds up.

— jesse green, New York Times, "Review: Shaw’s ‘Heartbreak House’ Gets an Unexpected Visitor," 31 May 2017
How does Oregon's only Frank Lloyd Wright building compare to his masterpieces around the world?

— janet eastman, OregonLive.com, "Oregon's part in the worldwide celebration of Frank Lloyd Wright's 150th birthday (photos)," 23 May 2017

Origin and Etymology of compare

see ¹compare

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1589

See Words from the same year

COMPARE Defined for English Language Learners

compare

play

verb

Definition of compare for English Language Learners

: to say that (something) is similar to something else
: to look at (two or more things) closely in order to see what is similar or different about them or in order to decide which one is better
: to be as good or as bad as something else : to be on the same level or in the same category as something else

COMPARE Defined for Kids

compare

play

verb com·pare \kəm-ˈper\

Definition of compare for Students

compared

;

comparing

1 : to point out as similar : liken She compared the activity of ants to the behavior of humans.
2 : to examine for similarity or differences Before buying compare the two bicycles.
3 : to appear in relation to others She compares well with the rest of the class.
4 : to state the positive, comparative, and superlative forms of an adjective or adverb