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Webster 1913 Edition

Compare

Com-pare′

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Compared
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Comparing
.]
[L.
comparare
, fr.
compar
like or equal to another;
com-
+
par
equal: cf. F.
comparer
. See
Pair
,
Peer
an equal, and cf.
Compeer
.]
1.
To examine the character or qualities of, as of two or more persons or things, for the purpose of discovering their resemblances or differences; to bring into comparison; to regard with discriminating attention.
Compare
dead happiness with living woe.
Shakespeare
The place he found beyond expression bright,
Compared
with aught on earth.
Milton.
Compare
our faces and be judge yourself.
Shakespeare
To
compare
great things with small.
Milton.
2.
To represent as similar, for the purpose of illustration; to liken.
Solon
compared
the people unto the sea, and orators and counselors to the winds; for that the sea would be calm and quiet if the winds did not trouble it.
Bacon.
Syn. – To
Compare
,
Compare with
,
Compare to
.
Things are compared with each other in order to learn their relative value or excellence. Thus we compare Cicero with Demosthenes, for the sake of deciding which was the greater orator. One thing is compared to another because of a real or fanciful likeness or similarity which exists between them. Thus it has been common to compare the eloquence of Demosthenes to a thunderbolt, on account of its force, and the eloquence of Cicero to a conflagration, on account of its splendor. Burke compares the parks of London to the lungs of the human body.

Com-pare′

,
Verb.
I.
1.
To be like or equal; to admit, or be worthy of, comparison;
as, his later work does not
compare
with his earlier
.
I should
compare
with him in excellence.
Shakespeare
2.
To vie; to assume a likeness or equality.
Shall pack horses . . .
compare
with Cæsars?
Shakespeare

Com-pare′

,
Noun.
1.
Comparison.
[Archaic]
His mighty champion, strong beyond
compare
.
Milton.
Their small galleys may not hold
compare

With our tall ships.
Waller.
2.
Illustration by comparison; simile.
[Obs.]
Rhymes full of protest, of oath, and big
compare
.
Shakespeare
Beyond compare
.
See
Beyond comparison
, under
Comparison
.

Com-pare′

,
Verb.
T.
[L.
comparare
to prepare, procure;
com-
+
parare
. See
Prepare
,
Parade
.]
To get; to procure; to obtain; to acquire
[Obs.]
To fill his bags, and richesse to
compare
.
Spenser.

Webster 1828 Edition

Compare

COMPARE

, v.t.
1.
To set or bring things together in fact or in contemplation, and to examine the relations they bear to each other, with a view to ascertain their agreement or disagreement; as, to compare two pieces of cloth, two tables, or coins; to compare reasons and arguments; to compare pleasure with pain.
in comparing movable things, it is customary to bring them together, for examination. In comparing thins immovable or remote, and abstract ideas, we bring them together in the mind, as far as we are able, and consider them in connection. Comparison therefore is really collation, or it includes it.
2.
To liken; to represent as similar, for the purpose of illustration.
Solon compared the people to the sea, and orators and counselors to the winds; for that the sea would be calm and quiet, it the winds did not trouble it.
In this sense compare is followed by to.
3.
To examine the relations of thins to each other, with a view to discover their relative proportions, quantities or qualities; as, to compare two kingdoms, or two mountains with each other; to compare the number ten with fifteen; to compare ice with crystal; to compare a clown with a dancing master or a dandy.
In this sense compare is followed by with.
4.
In grammar, to form an adjective in the degrees of comparison; as blackish, black, blacker, blackest.
5.
To get; to procure; to obtain; as in Latin.

COMPARE

,
Verb.
I.
1.
To hold comparison; to be like or equal.
2.
Simile; similitude; illustration by comparison.
[This noun is in use, but cannot be considered as elegant.]

Definition 2024

compare

compare

See also: comparé

English

Verb

compare ‎(third-person singular simple present compares, present participle comparing, simple past and past participle compared)

  1. (transitive) 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.‎
    • 1922, Ben Travers, chapter 6, in A Cuckoo in the Nest:
      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.
    • 2013 May-June, Katie L. Burke, “In the News”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3, page 193:
      Bats 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.
  2. (transitive) To declare two things to be similar in some respect ["to compare X to Y"].
    Astronomers have compared comets to dirty snowballs.‎
    • Francis Bacon (1561-1626)
      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.
  3. (transitive, grammar) To form the three degrees of comparison of (an adjective).
    We compare "good" as "good", "better", "best".‎
  4. (intransitive) To be similar (often used in the negative).
    A sapling and a fully-grown oak tree do not compare.‎
  5. (obsolete) To get; to obtain.
    • Edmund Spenser (c.1552–1599)
      To fill his bags, and richesse to compare.

Translations

Related terms

See also

Noun

compare ‎(countable and uncountable, plural compares)

  1. comparison
    • Milton
      His mighty champion, strong beyond compare.
    • Waller
      Their small galleys may not hold compare with our tall ships.
    • 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.
  2. illustration by comparison; simile
    • Shakespeare
      Rhymes full of protest, of oath, and big compare.

Asturian

Verb

compare

  1. first-person singular present subjunctive of comparar
  2. third-person singular present subjunctive of comparar

French

Verb

compare

  1. first-person singular present indicative of comparer
  2. third-person singular present indicative of comparer
  3. first-person singular present subjunctive of comparer
  4. third-person singular present subjunctive of comparer
  5. second-person singular imperative of comparer

Italian

Etymology

From Latin compater, compatrem.

Noun

compare m ‎(plural compari)

  1. godfather
  2. accomplice
  3. old friend

Verb

compare

  1. third-person singular present indicative of comparire

Synonyms

Anagrams

Latin

Verb

compārē

  1. second-person singular present active imperative of compāreō

Portuguese

Verb

compare

  1. first-person singular present subjunctive of comparar
  2. third-person singular present subjunctive of comparar
  3. third-person singular imperative of comparar

Spanish

Verb

compare

  1. Formal second-person singular (usted) imperative form of comparar.
  2. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of comparar.
  3. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of comparar.
  4. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted?) present subjunctive form of comparar.

Etymology

From Old French comparer, from Latin comparare ‎(“to prepare, procure”), from compar ‎(“like or equal to another”), from com- + par ‎(“equal”).

Pronunciation

  • (General American) IPA(key): /kəmˈpɛɚ/, IPA(key): /kəmˈpɛɹ/, IPA(key): /kəmˈpeɚ/, IPA(key): /kəmˈpeɹ/
    Note: the above transliterations all represent the same thing; they should not be mistaken for four distinct phonemic representations.
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /kəmˈpɛə/
  • Rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)

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