- to examine (two or more objects, ideas, people, etc.) in order to note similarities and differences: If you compare these three pieces of cloth, you'll see they're all similar in weight.It's difficult to directly compare the governments of two very different nations.
- to consider or describe as similar; liken: “Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?”
- to form or display the degrees of comparison of (an adjective or adverb).
- to be worthy of comparison; be held equal: Dekker's plays cannot compare with Shakespeare's.
- to appear in a similar standing: His recital certainly compares with the one he gave last year.
- to differ in quality or accomplishment as specified: Their development compares poorly with that of neighbor nations.
- to vie; rival: Can we all agree that most people want fair treatment and to compare favorably with others?
- to make a comparison: The only way we can say which product is better is to compare.
- comparison: Her beauty is beyond compare.
- See entry at compare and contrast.
- to compare things that are fundamentally different from each other, usually used to suggest that the things cannot or should not be directly compared:Comparing per pupil costs in public schools to tuition costs in private schools is comparing apples and oranges.
- to compare things that are similar to each other in a basic or fundamental way:Let’s compare apples to apples and look at the Professional package versus the Plus package.
- note (def. 32).
- considered in relation to; contrasted with: The report investigated whether electric buses were cost-effective compared to traditional diesel buses.Compared with other video editing software, our program offers many more features.
- to regard or represent as analogous or similar; liken
- to examine in order to observe resemblances or differences
- to be of the same or similar quality or value
- to bear a specified relation of quality or value when examined
- to correspond to
- to give the positive, comparative, and superlative forms of (an adjective)
- to compete or vie
- to exchange opinions
- comparison or analogy (esp in the phrase beyond compare)
