compare
English · Español · Français · Italiano · Português · Română · Thesaurus
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
compare
- /kəmˈpɛɚ/ US
- [kəmˈpɛɚ] US
- [kəmˈpɛɹ] US
- [kəmˈpeɚ] US
- [kəmˈpeɹ] US
- /kəmˈpɛə/ UK
- [kəmˈpɛː] UK
- [kəmˈpɛə] UK
- [kəmˈpeə] UK
Rhymes with -ɛə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
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”).
verb compares · comparing · compared · compare
-
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.
Similar: set against, weigh against, collate
-
To declare two things to be similar in some respect ["to compare X to Y"].
Astronomers have compared comets to dirty snowballs.
Similar: liken
- To form the three degrees of comparison of (an adjective). We compare "good" as "good", "better", "best".
- To be similar (often used in the negative). A sapling and a fully-grown oak tree do not compare.
- To get; to obtain. To fill his bags, and richesse to compare.
noun compares · cp. · comp. · cmp
- Comparison. His mighty Champion, ſtrong above compare,
- An instruction or command that compares two values or states. […] including addition and subtraction, memory operations, compares, shifts, logic operations, and condition operations.
- Illustration by comparison; simile. Rhymes full of protest, of oath, and big compare.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: comparison, liken, comparability, equivalence, equate, comparer, comparative, relative, intercomparison, comparable, matching, correlate, collation, generalize, collate, cross-check
Translations
Every language
verb to assess the similarities between two things or between one thing and another
| Español | comparar, parangonar, equiparar, cotejar, paragonar, carear |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 비교하다 bigyohada, 비유하다 biyuhada, 견주다 gyeonjuda |
| 日本語 | 比べる kuraberu, 比較する hikaku suru |
| 中文 | 比 bǐ, 比較 /比较 bǐjiào |
| हिन्दी | तौलना taulnā |
| Kiswahili | linganisha |
| Português | comparar |
| Français | comparer |
| Deutsch | vergleichen, komparieren |
| Italiano | paragonare |
| Ελληνικά | συγκρίνω sygkríno, παραβάλλω paravállo |
| Română | compara |
| Русский | сра́внивать srávnivatʹ, сравни́ть sravnítʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | so sánh, so |
| العربية | قَارَنَ qārana |
| עברית | השווה \ הִשְׁוָה hishvá |
verb to declare two things to be similar in some respect
| 中文 | 類比 /类比 lèibǐ |
|---|---|
| Ελληνικά | παρομοιάζω paromoiázo, συγκρίνω sygkríno, παραβάλλω paravállo |
| العربية | شَبَّهَ šabbaha |
verb to form the three degrees of comparison of
| Kiswahili | linganisha |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | steigern |
verb to be similar
| 中文 | 可比 kěbǐ |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | übereinstimmen |
| Русский | сра́вниваться srávnivatʹsja, сравни́ться sravnítʹsja |
Talk about this word "compare." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/compare. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. compare. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/compare "compare." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/compare.Cite this
@misc{compare_2026,
title = {compare},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/compare},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
