apples to apples
A comparison of items that are similar.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“We need to compare apples to apples to see which phone is better.”
“To make a fair decision, we must ensure we are comparing apples to apples when looking at these two job offers.”
“The researchers struggled to draw a valid conclusion because the data sets were not apples to apples, making a direct comparison between the two groups impossible.”
- 01
apple of someone's eye
The object of somebody's affections; a person (or sometimes a thing) that someone strongly prefers; a favorite, a loved one.
- 02
apple polisher
A sycophant; a toady.
- 03
apples and oranges
A comparison of items that, however categorically similar, is inapt; an incompatible analogy, or the items so compared; a disanalogy.
- 04
apples to apples, oranges to oranges
A comparison of items that are similar, while also acknowledging or distinguishing a separation of their sets or categories.
- 05
bad apple
A person who is not wholesome, honest, or trustworthy, especially one who has an adverse influence on others.
- 06
mix apples and oranges
To mix or confuse two completely different objects or ideas.
- 07
rotten apple
A bad person, especially one who has a corrupting influence on others.
- 08
the apple does not fall far from the tree
A child grows up to be similar to its parents, both in behavior and in physical characteristics.
Last updated August 10, 2026