compare.
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.
Meaning & usage
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.
Compare the tiger's coloration with that of the zebra.
You can't compare my problems and yours.
To declare two things to be similar in some respect [“to compare X to Y”].
Astronomers have compared comets to dirty snowballs.
To form the three degrees of comparison of (an adjective).
We compare “good” as “good”, “better”, “best”.
To be similar (often used in the negative).
A sapling and a fully-grown oak tree do not compare.
To get; to obtain.
Where this word comes from
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”).
Comparison.
An instruction or command that compares two values or states.
Illustration by comparison; simile.
Where this word comes from
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”).
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.