compare
verb · noun
Simple meaning
To look at two or more things to see how they are alike or different.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
kuhmpehrSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
kəmˈpɛɹ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
Examine and note the similarities or differences of
“John compared his haircut to his friend's.”
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.
transitive
To declare two things to be similar in some respect ["to compare X to Y"].
Consider or describe as similar, equal, or analogous
“We can compare the Han dynasty to the Romans.”
intransitive
To be similar (often used in the negative).
noun
uncountable
Comparison.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Examine and note the similarities or differences of
Used this way, compare is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“John compared his haircut to his friend's.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
How It’s Used
The word’s distinct uses, one example each.
Examine / assessverb
“John compared his haircut to his friend's.”
Considerverb
“We can compare the Han dynasty to the Romans.”
More ways to use compare
- “John compared his haircut to his friend's.”verb
- “We can compare the Han dynasty to the Romans.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
The act of examining resemblances.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
Able to be compared or worthy of comparison.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
Compare prices for a given item.
Anatomist who compares the anatomy of different animals.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: examine and note the similarities or differences of
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What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.