Compare

6 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Compare \Com*pare"\, n.
     1. Comparison. [Archaic]
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              His mighty champion, strong beyond compare.
                                                    --Milton.


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              Their small galleys may not hold compare
              With our tall ships.                  --Waller.
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     2. Illustration by comparison; simile. [Obs.]
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              Rhymes full of protest, of oath, and big compare.
                                                    --Shak.
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     {Beyond compare}. See {Beyond comparison}, under
        {Comparison}.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Compare \Com*pare"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Compared}; p. pr. &
     vb. n. {Comparing}.] [L.comparare, fr. compar like or equal
     to another; com- + par equal: cf. F. comparer. See {Pair},
     {Peer} an equal, and cf. {Compeer}.]
     1. To examine the character or qualities of, as of two or
        more persons or things, for the purpose of discovering
        their resemblances or differences; to bring into
        comparison; to regard with discriminating attention.
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              Compare dead happiness with living woe. --Shak.
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              The place he found beyond expression bright,
              Compared with aught on earth.         --Milton.
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              Compare our faces and be judge yourself. --Shak.
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              To compare great things with small.   --Milton.
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     2. To represent as similar, for the purpose of illustration;
        to liken.
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              Solon compared the people unto the sea, and orators
              and counselors to the winds; for that the sea would
              be calm and quiet if the winds did not trouble it.
                                                    --Bacon.
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     3. (Gram.) To inflect according to the degrees of comparison;
        to state positive, comparative, and superlative forms of;
        as, most adjectives of one syllable are compared by
        affixing "- er" and "-est" to the positive form; as,
        black, blacker, blackest; those of more than one syllable
        are usually compared by prefixing "more" and "most", or
        "less" and "least", to the positive; as, beautiful, more
        beautiful, most beautiful.
  
     Syn: To {Compare}, {Compare with}, {Compare to}.
  
     Usage: Things are compared with each other in order to learn
            their relative value or excellence. Thus we compare
            Cicero with Demosthenes, for the sake of deciding
            which was the greater orator. One thing is compared to
            another because of a real or fanciful likeness or
            similarity which exists between them. Thus it has been
            common to compare the eloquence of Demosthenes to a
            thunderbolt, on account of its force, and the
            eloquence of Cicero to a conflagration, on account of
            its splendor. Burke compares the parks of London to
            the lungs of the human body.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Compare \Com*pare"\, v. i.
     1. To be like or equal; to admit, or be worthy of,
        comparison; as, his later work does not compare with his
        earlier.
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              I should compare with him in excellence. --Shak.
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     2. To vie; to assume a likeness or equality.
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              Shall pack horses . . . compare with C[ae]sars?
                                                    --Shak.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Compare \Com*pare"\, v. t. [L. comparare to prepare, procure;
     com- + parare. See {Prepare}, {Parade}.]
     To get; to procure; to obtain; to acquire [Obs.]
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           To fill his bags, and richesse to compare. --Spenser.
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From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  compare
       n : qualities that are comparable; "no comparison between the
           two books"; "beyond compare" [syn: {comparison}, {equivalence},
            {comparability}]
       v 1: examine and note the similarities or differences of; "John
            compared his haircut to his friend's"; "We compared
            notes after we had both seen the movie"
       2: be comparable; "This car does not compare with our line of
          Mercedes"
       3: consider or describe as similar, equal, or analogous; "We
          can compare the Han dynasty to the Romans"; "You cannot
          equate success in financial matters with greed" [syn: {liken},
           {equate}]
       4: to form the comparative or superlative form on an adjective
          or adverb

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  97 Moby Thesaurus words for "compare":
     admit of comparison, analogize, ape, appear like, approach,
     approximate, assimilate, associate, balance, be commensurable,
     be comparable, be like, be redolent of, bear resemblance, bracket,
     bring into analogy, bring into comparison, bring to mind,
     call to mind, call up, collate, come close, come near, come up to,
     compare and contrast, compare to, compare with, compete with,
     confront, consider, contemplate, contrast, copy, correlate,
     correspond, counterfeit, counterpose, draw a comparison,
     draw a parallel, equal, evoke, examine, favor, follow, imitate,
     inspect, juxtapose, liken, liken to, look like, match,
     match up with, measure against, measure up to, metaphorize, mimic,
     mirror, near, nearly reproduce, not compare with, not tell apart,
     observe, oppose, paragon, parallel, partake of, place against,
     ponder, refer, relate, remind one of, resemble, rival,
     run a comparison, savor of, scan, scrutinize, seem like,
     set in contrast, set in opposition, set off against,
     set over against, similize, simulate, size up, smack of,
     sound like, stack up with, study, suggest, take after, touch, vie,
     vie with, view together, weigh, weigh against