Compare | Mean of compare in English Dictionary

/kəmˈpeɚ/

• Verb
• to say that (something) is similar to something else
1. The poet compared [=likened] his sweetheart to a beautiful rose.
2. The singer's voice has been compared to that of Elvis.
• 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
1. We each did the homework assignment, then compared answers.
2. I compared several bicycles before buying one.
3. For our assignment we must compare and contrast the two poets. [=say what is similar and different about them]
• to be as good or as bad as something else
1. He says skiing is fun enough but it can't compare with snowboarding. [=he says skiing is fun but snowboarding is better]
2. Spraining an ankle hurts but doesn't compare to breaking a leg. [=breaking a leg is worse than spraining an ankle]

• to seem better or worse in comparison to something else
1. How do the restaurants compare?
2. How does your new job compare to the last one? [=is your new job better or worse than the last one?]
3. Her scores compare well with those of the rest of the class.
• to compare things that are very similar
1. The article compares apples to apples, grouping wines of the same variety and price together.
• to compare things that are very different
1. To compare large trucks with compact cars is to compare apples with oranges.
• in relation to (something else)
1. I'm a slob compared to my roommate.
2. This rain is nothing compared to what we got yesterday. [=yesterday's rain was worse than today's rain]
3. Today's quiz was easy compared with the last one.
• to talk to someone about something that you and that person have each done, experienced, etc.
1. The parents compared notes on raising children.
2. I phoned a coworker after the meeting to compare notes.
• Noun
• better or greater than any other
1. The singer's voice is beyond compare.
2. beauty beyond compare