/ kəmˈpeə(r); NAmE -ˈper/ verb , noun
■ verb
1.
( abbr. cf. , cp. ) [ vn ] compare A and B | compare A with / to B to examine people or things to see how they are similar and how they are different :
It is interesting to compare their situation and ours.
We compared the two reports carefully.
We carefully compared the first report with the second.
My own problems seem insignificant compared with other people's.
Standards in health care have improved enormously compared to 40 years ago.
2.
[ v ] compare with / to sb/sth to be similar to sb/sth else, either better or worse :
This school compares with the best in the country (= it is as good as them) .
This house doesn't compare with our previous one (= it is not as good) .
I've had some difficulties, but they were nothing compared to yours (= they were not nearly as bad as yours) .
Their prices compare favourably with those of their competitors.
3.
[ vn ] compare A to B to show or state that sb/sth is similar to sb/sth else :
The critics compared his work to that of Martin Amis.
•
IDIOMS
- compare notes (with sb)
■ noun
•
IDIOMS
- beyond / without compare
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English : from Old French comparer , from Latin comparare , from compar like, equal, from com- with + par equal.