compare

 
Pronunciation: /kəmˈpɛː/

verb

[with object]
  • 1estimate, measure, or note the similarity or dissimilarity between: individual schools compared their facilities with those of others in the area the survey compares prices in different countries total attendance figures were 28,000, compared to 40,000 at last year’s event
  • (compare something to) point out or describe the resemblances with; liken to: her novel was compared to the work of Daniel Defoe
  • (compare something to) draw an analogy between one thing and (another) for the purposes of explanation or clarification: he compared the religions to different paths towards the peak of the same mountain
  • [no object, with adverbial] have a specified relationship with another thing or person in terms of nature or quality: salaries compare favourably with those of other professions
  • [no object, usually with negative] be of an equal or similar nature or quality: the dried stuff just can’t compare with the taste and aroma of fresh basil
  • 2 Grammar form the comparative and superlative degrees of (an adjective or an adverb): words of one syllable are usually compared by ‘-er’ and ‘-est’

noun

(in phrase beyond or without compare) literary
  • of a quality or nature surpassing all others of the same kind: a diamond beyond compare

Phrases

compare notes

exchange ideas, opinions, or information about a particular subject: the women compared notes on how their husbands were doing

Origin:

late Middle English: from Old French comparer, from Latin comparare, from compar 'like, equal', from com- 'with' + par 'equal'

Is there any difference between compare with and compare to, and is one more correct than the other? There is a slight difference, in that it is usual to use to rather than with when describing the resemblance, by analogy, of two quite different things, as in critics compared Ellington’s music to the music of Beethoven and Brahms. In the sense ‘estimate the similarity or dissimilarity between’, with is often preferred to to, as in schools compared their facilities with those of others in the area. However, in practice the distinction is not clear-cut and both compare with and compare to can be used in either context.