What does compare mean?
To compare is to place two or more things side by side — mentally or explicitly — in order to judge how they resemble or differ from one another. The verb sits at the heart of analysis and decision-making: shoppers compare prices, scientists compare results against a control, and readers compare a film with the book it came from. It also carries a second, more figurative sense, describing one thing as like another, as in 'poets have compared love to a rose.' A further idiomatic use appears in 'without comparison' or 'beyond compare,' meaning unrivalled. The word derives from Latin comparare, built on com- ('together') and par ('equal'), which explains why its relatives include pair, parity, and peer — all rooted in the idea of equivalence. Its derivatives are equally productive: comparison, comparable, and comparative anchor everyday reasoning. Because comparison implies treating items as commensurable, the phrase 'you can't compare apples and oranges' captures its natural limit: some things resist meaningful comparison altogether.
To examine two or more people or things in order to note similarities or differences; to represent as similar to something else.
"Historians often compare the two empires to understand their divergent fates."
Transitive in most uses, but also used absolutely: 'nothing compares to home.'
Chiefly in the phrases 'beyond compare' or 'without compare': a state or quality of being unequalled.
"Her beauty was said to be beyond compare."
Rare outside fixed expressions; almost always found in formal or literary register.
Every time you say 'compared to,' you're echoing the Latin 'par' — the same ancient root that gives us 'pair' and 'parity': comparing literally means weighing things against each other as equals.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of compare
Compare comes from Latin comparare, meaning 'to couple together' or 'to make equal,' formed from com- ('together') and par ('equal'). The word entered English in late Middle English via Old French comparer, appearing in written use by the 14th century. Its Latin root par also produced pair, parity, and peer, making these true cognates within the same family of 'equality' words.
Related word forms
How compare is actually used
Both 'compared to' and 'compared with' are accepted in modern English; traditional style guides preferred 'compared with' when stressing differences and 'compared to' when stressing similarity, but in practice they are largely interchangeable. The verb can be used absolutely ('his cooking doesn't compare'), meaning it falls short of a standard. In informal British speech, 'not much of a X compared to Y' is common.
Easily confused with compare
To contrast is to focus on differences between things, while to compare examines both similarities and differences.