verb
compare
kum-PAIR/kəmˈper/
To consider how things are alike or different.
The woman compares two running shoes, examining their soles and designs side by side.
Etymology
“Together” and “equal” originally conveyed treating things as equal or likening them. The meaning expanded to examining both similarities and differences, without requiring the things to be equal.
In context
They're going to compare your homes. Is your California house a 5,000 ft mansion while your new place in Nevada is a 1,200 ft condo?
More examples
- The students compare two poems and discuss their themes.
- She compared the original photo with the edited version.
- We're comparing notes to see whether we heard the same instructions.
Forms
compare · compares · compared · comparing
comparison noun — An examination of similarities and differences.
comparable adjective — Similar enough to be reasonably compared.
Similar words
- contrast
- Focuses on differences rather than both similarities and differences.
- liken
- Points out resemblance rather than examining similarities and differences.