compare
- 01 A1 Beginner
v.to look at two or more things to find what is the same and what is different.
v.to examine two or more objects, ideas, or people in order to note similarities and differences. Often used with the prepositions 'with' or 'to'.
Simple“If you compare the two cars, you will see that one is much larger.”
In context“The researchers compared the results of the first study with the second to identify any significant changes in participant behaviour.”
UsageCommonly takes the structure 'compare A with B' or 'compare A and B'.
PitfallI compared my phone to his phone. I compared my phone with his phone.While 'to' is common, 'with' is traditionally preferred when looking for both similarities and differences; 'to' is often used when highlighting only similarities.
- 02 B1 Intermediate
v.to be as good as or similar to something else.
v.to be worthy of comparison or to bear a resemblance. Frequently used in the negative to suggest one thing is inferior.
Simple“The city's parks are nice, but they don't compare to the ones in London.”
In context“The local theatre production was charming, but it simply cannot compare to the technical sophistication of a Broadway show.”
UsageOften used in the negative form 'cannot compare' or 'does not compare'.
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to show the different forms of an adjective, like 'big', 'bigger', and 'biggest'.
v.to inflect an adjective or adverb through its positive, comparative, and superlative degrees.
Simple“In English class, we learned how to compare adjectives like 'happy' and 'fast'.”
In context“The student struggled to compare irregular adjectives, often mistakenly adding 'more' to words that require a suffix change.”
Synonymsinflect - 04 C1 Advanced
n.the act of comparing, used in the phrase 'beyond compare'.
n.the state of being compared; used almost exclusively in the fixed literary phrase 'beyond compare' to mean 'without equal'.
Simple“The beauty of the mountains in winter is beyond compare.”
In context“The poet described his subject's grace as being beyond compare, suggesting that no other person could possibly match her elegance.”
Teacher's tipThis noun form is rare in modern speech except for the idiom 'beyond compare'. In all other cases, students should use the noun 'comparison'.
Synonyms - 05 C2 Proficiency
n.a computer instruction that checks if two values are the same.
n.an operation or instruction that evaluates the relationship between two data values, such as equality or magnitude.
Simple“The program performs a compare on the two numbers to see which is higher.”
In context“The algorithm's efficiency was hindered by an excessive number of string compares within the primary sorting loop.”
Synonyms
Usage compared with last · compared with previous · compared with people
From Middle English comparen, from Old French comparer, from Latin comparare (“to prepare, procure”), from compar (“like or equal to another”), from com- + par (“equal”). Displaced native Old English metan (“to compare,” also “to measure”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.