Meanings
present singular third person compares · participle present comparing · participle past compared · past compared · first person past singular compared · archaic present second person singular comparest · past second person singular compared · archaic past second person singular comparedst · present singular third person compares · archaic present singular third person compareth · past singular third person compared · past plural compared · past subjunctive compared · participle present comparing · participle past compared · alternative cp.
- transitiveTo 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.
You can't compare my problems and yours.
3 more examples
Compare the tiger's coloration with that of the zebra.
Sophia broke down here. Even at this moment she was subconsciously comparing her rendering of the part of the forlorn bride with Miss Marie Lohr's.
1921, Ben Travers, chapter 6, in A Cuckoo in the Nest, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 1925, →OCLCBats host many high-profile viruses that can infect humans, including severe acute respiratory syndrome and Ebola. A recent study explored the ecological variables that may contribute to bats’ propensity to harbor such zoonotic diseases by comparing them with another order of common reservoir hosts: rodents.
2013 May-June, Katie L. Burke, “In the News”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3, page 193Synonyms: set against, weigh against, collate
- transitiveTo declare two things to be similar in some respect ["to compare X to Y"].
Astronomers have compared comets to dirty snowballs.
2 more examples
Solon compared the people unto the sea, and orators and counsellors to the winds; for that the sea would be calm and quiet if the winds did not trouble it.
1625, Francis [Bacon], Apophthegmes New and Old. […], London: […] Hanna Barret, and Richard Whittaker, […], →OCLCAnd wordy attacks against slavery drew sneers from observers which were not altogether undeserved. The authors were compared to doctors who offered to a patient nothing more than invectives against the disease which consumed him.
1963, C.L.R. James, The Black Jacobins, 2nd Revised edition, page 24Synonyms: liken
- transitivegrammarTo form the three degrees of comparison of (an adjective).
We compare "good" as "good", "better", "best".
- intransitiveTo be similar (often used in the negative).
A sapling and a fully-grown oak tree do not compare.
1 more example
Shall pack-horses[…]compare with Caesar's?
c. 1596–1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Fourth, […]. Epilogue.”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iv]
plural compares · alternative cp. · alternative comp. · alternative cmp
- uncountableComparison.
His mighty Champion, ſtrong above compare,
1671, John Milton, “Samson Agonistes, […].”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for John Starkey […], →OCLC, page 38, line 5571 more example
Their small galleys may not hold compare with our tall ships.
a. 1687, Edmund Waller, To my Worth Friend Sir Thomas Higgons - countablecomputingAn instruction or command that compares two values or states.
[…] including addition and subtraction, memory operations, compares, shifts, logic operations, and condition operations.
1998, International Conference on Computer Design: Proceedings, IEEE, page 4901 more example
2013, Paolo Bruni, Carlos Alberto Gomes da Silva Junior, Craig McKellar, Managing DB2 for z/OS Utilities with DB2 Tools Solution Packs It is always advisable to run a compare between your source and target environments. This should highlight whether there are differences in the lengths of VARCHARs and then the differences can be corrected before you clone.
- obsoleteuncountableIllustration by comparison; simile.
Rhymes full of protest, of oath, and big compare.
c. 1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Troylus and Cressida”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo 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.
verbTo declare two things to be similar in some respect ["to compare X to Y"].
More synonyms by meaning
nounqualities that are comparable
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latincomparare“to prepare, procure”
- Old Frenchcomparer
- Middle Englishcomparen
- Englishcompare
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”).
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic قَارَنَ, شَبَّهَ
- قَارَنَ (qārana)to assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
- شَبَّهَ (šabbaha)to declare two things to be similar in some respect
Basque konparatu
- konparatuto assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
Bengali তুলনা করা
- তুলনা করা (tulona kora)to assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
Bulgarian сравня́вам, сравня́
- сравня́вам (sravnjávam)to assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
- сравня́ (sravnjá)to assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
- сравня́вам (sravnjávam)to declare two things to be similar in some respect
- сравня́ (sravnjá)to declare two things to be similar in some respect
- спря́гам (sprjágam)to form the three degrees of comparison of
- сравнявам се (sravnjavam se)to be similar
- сравня се (sravnja se)to be similar
Catalan comparar
- compararto assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
Chinese Mandarin 比, 比較 /比较
- 比 (bǐ)to assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
- 比較 /比较 (bǐjiào)to assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
- 類比 /类比 (lèibǐ)to declare two things to be similar in some respect
- 可比 (kěbǐ)to be similar
Czech porovnávat, porovnat
- porovnávatto assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
- porovnatto assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
- srovnávatto assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
- srovnatto assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
- stupňovatto form the three degrees of comparison of
- být srovnatelnýto be similar
Danish sammenligne, jævnføre
- sammenligneto assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
- jævnføreto assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
- gradbøjeto form the three degrees of comparison of
- stemme overensto be similar
Dutch vergelijken, overeenstemmen
- vergelijkento assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
- overeenstemmento be similar
Esperanto kompari
- komparito assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
Estonian võrdlema
- võrdlemato assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
Finnish verrata, vertailla
- verratato assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
- vertaillato assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
- vertautuato be similar
French comparer
- comparerto assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
German vergleichen, komparieren
- vergleichento assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
- komparierento assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
- steigernto form the three degrees of comparison of
- übereinstimmento be similar
Greek συγκρίνω, παραβάλλω
- συγκρίνω (sygkríno)to assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
- παραβάλλω (paravállo)to assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
- παρομοιάζω (paromoiázo)to declare two things to be similar in some respect
- συγκρίνω (sygkríno)to declare two things to be similar in some respect
- παραβάλλω (paravállo)to declare two things to be similar in some respect
Hebrew השווה \ הִשְׁוָה
- השווה \ הִשְׁוָה (hishvá)to assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
Hindi तौलना
- तौलना (taulnā)to assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
Hungarian összehasonlít, összevet
- összehasonlítto assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
- összevetto assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
- hasonlítto declare two things to be similar in some respect
- fokozto form the three degrees of comparison of
- összevethetőto be similar
- összehasonlíthatóto be similar
Icelandic bera saman, miða við
- bera samanto assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
- miða viðto assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
Indonesian bandingkan
- bandingkanto assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
Italian paragonare
- paragonareto assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
Japanese 比べる, 比較する
- 比べる (kuraberu)to assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
- 比較する (hikaku suru)to assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
Korean 비교하다, 비유하다
- 비교하다 (bigyohada)to assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
- 비유하다 (biyuhada)to assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
- 견주다 (gyeonjuda)to assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
Latin comparō
- comparōto assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
Latvian salīdzināt
- salīdzinātto assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
Lithuanian lyginti
- lygintito assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
Māori whakatairite, whakataurite
- whakatairiteto assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
- whakatauriteto assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
Norwegian sammenligne, jamføre
- sammenligneto assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
- jamføreto assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
Persian مقایسه کردن
- مقایسه کردن (moqâyase kardan, moqâyese kardan)to assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
Polish porównywać, porównać
- porównywaćto assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
- porównaćto assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
- stopniowaćto form the three degrees of comparison of
Portuguese comparar
- compararto assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
Romanian compara
- comparato assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
Russian сра́внивать, сравни́ть
- сра́внивать (srávnivatʹ)to assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
- сравни́ть (sravnítʹ)to assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
- сра́вниваться (srávnivatʹsja)to be similar
- сравни́ться (sravnítʹsja)to be similar
Scottish Gaelic coimeas, dèan coimeas air
- coimeasto assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
- dèan coimeas airto form the three degrees of comparison of
Slovak porovnávať, porovnať
- porovnávaťto assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
- porovnaťto assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
- porovnaťto declare two things to be similar in some respect
- porovnávaťto declare two things to be similar in some respect
- stupňovaťto form the three degrees of comparison of
- byť porovnateľnýto be similar
Spanish comparar, parangonar
- compararto assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
- parangonarto assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
- equipararto assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
- cotejarto assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
- paragonarto assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
- carearto assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
- contraponerto assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
Swahili linganisha, linganisha
- linganishato assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
- linganishato form the three degrees of comparison of
Swedish jämföra, sammanlikna
- jämförato assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
- sammanliknato assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
- komparerato form the three degrees of comparison of
Tamil ஒப்பிடு, ஒப்பிடு
- ஒப்பிடு (oppiṭu)to assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
- ஒப்பிடு (oppiṭu)to declare two things to be similar in some respect
Thai เปรียบเทียบ
- เปรียบเทียบ (bprìiap-tîiap)to assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
Turkish karşılaştırmak, kıyaslamak
- karşılaştırmakto assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
- kıyaslamakto assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
Ukrainian порі́внювати, порівня́ти
- порі́внювати (porívnjuvaty)to assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
- порівня́ти (porivnjáty)to assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
Vietnamese so sánh, so
- so sánhto assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
- soto assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
Welsh cymharu
- cymharuto assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with compare
Anagrams
Cite this entry
compare. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/compare
“compare.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/compare. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “compare,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/compare.
Source: compare on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.