Compare

How to spell compare

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce compare

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does compare mean?

1. verbTo examine two or more things in order to note their similarities and differences.
2. verbTo describe one thing as similar to another, often as a flattering or vivid likeness.

Compare in a sentence

• Shoppers often compare prices before buying a new appliance.

• Critics often compare the young author to the great novelists of the past.

• The report will compare this year's sales with last year's figures.

• People sometimes compare a busy office to a beehive.

Where does compare come from?

Language of origin: Latin

Compare comes from the Latin verb comparare, which meant 'to pair together' or 'to match', built from com- 'together' and par 'equal'. The same par root, meaning 'equal' or 'even', survives in everyday English words such as 'par' in golf, 'parity', and 'peer'. The Romans used comparare for the act of placing two things side by side so their equality or difference could be judged, and that core idea has barely shifted in two thousand years. English took the word in during the late 1300s by way of Old French comparer, and the modern senses of examining likeness and of stating that two things are alike both descend directly from that early borrowing. The spelling keeps the single Latin par cleanly visible, which is a useful anchor against the temptation to double letters.

How the word is built

• com- (together)
• par (equal, from Latin par)
• -e