compare

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

2 a :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.

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

New mothers receive on average 41 paid days of maternity leave, compared with 22 paid days for fathers, the study found.

— jordyn holman, The Seattle Times, "Feds sue Estee Lauder over discrimination against new fathers," 30 Aug. 2017
The main difference, Wade is quick to add, is that while these new Caribbean bungalows are set in very clear bays, their waters don't compare with the crystalline lagoons of the South Pacific or the Maldives.

— barbara noe kennedy, chicagotribune.com, "The tropical overwater bungalow turns 50," 30 Aug. 2017
There have been 2,633 multifamily unit permits issued in the first six months of this year, compared to 3,825 at the same time in 2016.

— phillip molnar, sandiegouniontribune.com, "What you need to know about San Diego's homebuilding slump," 30 Aug. 2017
That compares with $21,500 in the car maker’s home of Germany and as little as $18,900 in nearby Poland.

— peter levring, Bloomberg.com, "Soon, Cars in Denmark Will Only Be Taxed at 100%," 29 Aug. 2017
And Mr. Cook is paid handsomely: On Thursday, as a result of the company’s financial outperformance compared with its peers, Mr. Cook was given nearly $90 million of stock as part of his previously agreed upon compensation plan.

— andrew ross sorkin, New York Times, "Apple’s Tim Cook Barnstorms for ‘Moral Responsibility’," 28 Aug. 2017
Housing prices continued to rise in most areas of Northwest Indiana in July, but the number of houses sold dropped compared to both the previous month and the same month last year.

— karen caffarini, Post-Tribune, "NWI housing prices rise in July," 25 Aug. 2017
About 75 percent of women in prison in Alabama are the primary caretakers of children, compared to just 4 percent of the men, according to Jennifer Kenney, criminal justice professor at the University of Alabama.

— amy yurkanin, AL.com, "Poor, rural and addicted: Drugs drive surge in white women in prison," 24 Aug. 2017
For instance, a pedestrian hit by a car at 40 mph has only a 10 percent chance of survival compared with an 80 percent chance when hit at 20 mph, according to research.

— susan carpenter, Los Angeles Magazine, "Inside The Audacious Plan to Eliminate Traffic Deaths in L.A.," 21 Aug. 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

compare Synonyms

Synonyms

analogize, assimilate, bracket, equate, liken

Antonyms

contrast

Related Words

associate, connect, couple, link; allude, refer, relate; equal, match, parallel

Near Antonyms

differentiate, discern, discriminate, distinguish, separate

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

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

The online company also ranked debt by school and how debt for the Class of 2016 compares to the Class of 2015.

— karen farkas, cleveland.com, "Ohio ranks 16th in student loan debt for Class of 2016: See debt per college," 10 Aug. 2017
The wide-bodied Boeing 777 touched down Wednesday at Opa Locka Executive Airport as a flying billboard for airborne luxury beyond compare.

— arlene satchell, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Luxury Crystal Skye private charter jet makes South Florida debut," 9 Aug. 2017
How did the process of rehearsing and getting Landline into production compare to Obvious Child?

— mia galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Landline', 'Obvious Child' Trio Talk Making Their Second Feature and '90s New York," 21 July 2017
Or that any of the young, talented defensemen, who will largely dictate the success of Hextall’s extensive rebuild, won’t be playing compare and contrast, either.

— sam donnellon, Philly.com, "Flyers welcome crop of prospects for weekend development camp," 6 July 2017
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
Month-over-month, the 131 new listings that entered the market in May 2017 compare to 98 new listings that entered the market in April 2017, a 34 percent increase.

— brittanny havard, The Denver Post, "Denver metro, Boulder luxury home sales rise in May," 16 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
The budget office estimate of 23 million more uninsured in 2026 compares with 13 million projected by the experts at HHS.

— ricardo alonso-zaldivar, The Seattle Times, "Gov’t report: Health care deductibles higher under GOP bill," 15 June 2017

Origin and Etymology of compare

see ¹compare

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1589

See Words from the same year

COMPARE Defined for Kids

compare

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

Synonym Discussion of compare

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.