compare

verb

com·pare | \kəm-ˈper

compared; comparing

Definition of compare

(Entry 1 of 2)

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 answers

b : 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.

compare

noun

Definition of compare (Entry 2 of 2)

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

Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about compare

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Synonyms & Antonyms for compare

Synonyms: Verb

analogize, assimilate, bracket, equate, liken

Antonyms: Verb

contrast

Choose the Right Synonym for compare

Verb

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

Verb

compare and contrast mean to look closely at something in order to show likenesses and differences. compare is used for showing the likenesses between two or more things. Compare these sofas for size and comfort. contrast is used for showing the differences and especially the characteristics which are opposite. She finds it easy to contrast country and city life.

Examples of compare in a Sentence

Verb

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 on the Web: Verb

Algorithm’ As Netflix wades deeper into creating original series, employees have debated whether the algorithm should give those programs higher visibility compared with the reruns Netflix licenses. — Joe Flint, WSJ, "At Netflix, Who Wins When It’s Hollywood vs. the Algorithm?," 10 Nov. 2018 White adults were more likely to use yoga and meditation compared with Hispanic and black adults. — Eliza Barclay, Vox, "The growth of yoga and meditation in the US since 2012 is remarkable," 9 Nov. 2018 According to VoteCast, women voted considerably more in favor of their congressional Democratic candidate: About 6 in 10 voted for the Democrat, compared with 4 in 10 for the Republican. — Zeke Miller, The Seattle Times, "AP VoteCast: Trump a dominant force on voters’ minds," 7 Nov. 2018 According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, as of 2017, the average Swede works 1,609 hours per year, compared with an average of 1,759 hours across the rest of the world. — Rachel Jacoby Zoldan, SELF, "The 8 Best Lessons I Learned Living the Lagom Life," 31 Oct. 2018 Friday, October 5 Today proceeds at a much slower pace compared to the day before. — Alissa Walker, Curbed, "How bike advocate Katie Deolloz gets around Austin," 19 Oct. 2018 So Hobley and his colleagues calculated sublimation rates around the surface of the Jupiter moon and then compared those with the rates of other erosional processes. — Mike Wall, Space.com, "Jupiter Moon Europa's Jagged Ice Towers Could Imperil Robot Landers," 8 Oct. 2018 Christians made up 63 percent of all refugee admissions in 2018, compared with 40 percent in 2017. — Fox News, "Trump refugee policy leaves thousands stranded outside US," 7 Oct. 2018 While Eugenie's big day is (naturally) being widely compared to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's May wedding, the royal isn't all that concerned. — Kayleigh Roberts, Marie Claire, "Princess Eugenie Shares a Throwback Picture of Her and Princess Beatrice as Bridesmaids," 7 Oct. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

But how does the sentimental, personal announcement of their first pregnancy compare to that of Kate Middleton and Prince William, Princess Diana and Prince Charles, or even Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip? — Lucy Wood, Marie Claire, "How Meghan Markle's Pregnancy Announcement Compares to Kate Middleton and Princess Diana," 15 Oct. 2018 But this card's earning potential compares favorably to the best travel credit cards out there, like the Chase Sapphire Reserve and the American Express Platinum Card. — Ryan Craggs, Condé Nast Traveler, "The New SPG Luxury Credit Card Is Suddenly One of the Best Travel Credit Cards," 14 Sep. 2018 Prime is important to Amazon because Prime members shop more frequently, spend more per year and price-compare less than Amazon customers who aren’t Prime members. — Jason Del Rey, Recode, "Prime Day is more than a gimmick, it’s the single biggest event to expand Amazon’s defensive moat," 16 July 2018 The fallout from that privacy scandal has been enormous – but how does Google's breach compare? — CBS News, "Google reportedly allows apps to scan some people's Gmail inboxes," 3 July 2018 That total compares with only nine for Obama at the same point in his first term. — Brooks Jackson, Philly.com, "Trump's Numbers (Second Quarterly Update) | FactCheck," 11 July 2018 John Wayne Airport had 893,668 passengers in April, an increase of 42,499 compare to last year. — Anthony Clark Carpio, latimes.com, "Hollywood Burbank Airport reports another increase in passenger numbers," 6 June 2018 Marie Claire: How does season two compare to season one? — Rachel Epstein, Marie Claire, "Karamo Brown on 'Queer Eye' Season Two, the Fab Five, and Crying with Strangers in Restaurants," 4 June 2018 Lowe’s takes in more than five times as much revenue as Penney, and its market capitalization of roughly $73 billion compares with less than $1 billion for the department-store chain. — Sarah Nassauer, WSJ, "J.C. Penney CEO Quits to Join Lowe’s," 22 May 2018

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.