Nearby Words
m-
verb (used with object)
1.
to examine (two or more objects, ideas, people, etc.) in order to note similarities and differences: to compare two pieces of cloth; to compare the governments of two nations.
2.
to consider or describe as similar; liken: Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
3.
verb (used without object)
4.
to be worthy of comparison; be held equal: Dekker's plays cannot compare with Shakespeare's.
5.
to appear in a similar standing: His recital certainly compares with the one he gave last year.
6.
to differ in quality or accomplishment as specified: Their development compares poorly with that of neighbor nations.
7.
to vie; rival.
8.
to make a comparison: The only way we can say which product is better is to compare.
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Compare
is always a great word to know.
So is pilcrow. Does it mean:
| the symbol (#) used for various purposes. |
| a paragraph mark. |
noun
Idiom9.
comparison: Her beauty is beyond compare.
10.
compare notes. note (def. 32).
Origin:
1375–1425; late Middle English comparen < Latin comparāre to place together, match, verbal derivative of compar alike, matching (see com-, par); replacing Middle English comperen < Old French comperer < Latin
1375–1425; late Middle English comparen < Latin comparāre to place together, match, verbal derivative of compar alike, matching (see com-, par); replacing Middle English comperen < Old French comperer < Latin
Related forms
com·par·er, noun
in·ter·com·pare, verb (used with object), -pared, -par·ing.
pre·com·pare, verb (used with object), -pared, -par·ing.
re·com·pare, verb (used with object), -pared, -par·ing.
un·com·pared, adjective
EXPANDwell-com·pared, adjective
COLLAPSEUsage note
The traditional rule about which preposition to use after compare states that compare should be followed by to when it points out likenesses or similarities between two apparently dissimilar persons or things: She compared his handwriting to knotted string. Compare should be followed by with, the rule says, when it points out similarities or differences between two entities of the same general class: The critic compared the paintings in the exhibit with magazine photographs. This rule is by no means always observed, however, even in formal speech and writing. EXPANDThe usual practice is to employ to for likenesses between members of different classes: A language may be compared to a living organism. But when the comparison is between members of the same category, both to and with are used: The article compares the Chicago of today with (or to) the Chicago of the 1890s. Following the past participle compared, either to or with is used regardless of whether differences or similarities are stressed or whether the things compared belong to the same or different classes: Compared with (or to) the streets of 18th-century London, New York's streets are models of cleanliness and order.
COLLAPSE
The traditional rule about which preposition to use after compare states that compare should be followed by to when it points out likenesses or similarities between two apparently dissimilar persons or things: She compared his handwriting to knotted string. Compare should be followed by with, the rule says, when it points out similarities or differences between two entities of the same general class: The critic compared the paintings in the exhibit with magazine photographs. This rule is by no means always observed, however, even in formal speech and writing. EXPANDThe usual practice is to employ to for likenesses between members of different classes: A language may be compared to a living organism. But when the comparison is between members of the same category, both to and with are used: The article compares the Chicago of today with (or to) the Chicago of the 1890s. Following the past participle compared, either to or with is used regardless of whether differences or similarities are stressed or whether the things compared belong to the same or different classes: Compared with (or to) the streets of 18th-century London, New York's streets are models of cleanliness and order.
COLLAPSE
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To compare
Collins
World English Dictionary
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
compare
late 14c., from O.Fr. comperer (12c., Mod.Fr. comparer), from L.L. comparare "to liken, to compare" (see comparison). To compare notes is from 1708. Related: Comparing (late 14c.). Phrase without compare (attested from 1620s, but similar phrasing dates to 1530s) seems
EXPANDto be altered by folk etymology from compeer "rival."
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Word Dynamo By Dictionary.com
Idioms & Phrases
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