Compare: meaning, definitions and examples

Use when you want to show the similarities and differences between two or more things.

• Let's compare the prices of these two phones.
• She compared her work with that of her peers.

Use when you specifically want to highlight the differences between two or more things.

• The teacher asked the students to contrast the lifestyles of people in urban and rural areas.
• You can easily contrast their personalities by observing their behavior.

Use when you want to show how two or more things are different from each other.

• It's important to differentiate between fact and opinion in this debate.
• Can you differentiate the symptoms of these similar illnesses?

Use when you need to determine the value, significance, or condition of something after careful consideration.

• The manager will evaluate the employee's performance.
• We need to evaluate the pros and cons of the proposal.

Use when you need to examine something in detail to understand it better, often by breaking it down into smaller parts.

• The scientist will analyze the data from the experiment.
• We need to analyze the situation before making a decision.

Used when examining two or more items to identify similarities and differences.

• Let's compare the prices of these two phones.
• She compared her notes with his to see if they had the same information.

Used when drawing a direct comparison between one thing and another, often for clarity or emphasis.

• He likened her to a breath of fresh air.
• The teacher likened the process to constructing a building.

Used when suggesting a connection or relationship between things or people.

• People often associate dark clouds with bad weather.
• He is closely associated with the new policy changes.

Used when indicating that two things are equal in value, amount, function, meaning, etc.

• The word 'liberty' is often used as the English equivalent of the French word 'liberté'.
• The two jobs are equivalent in terms of responsibility.

Used when noting how something or someone looks or seems similar to something or someone else.

• She closely resembles her mother.
• The house resembles the one in the old photograph.

Use when evaluating the similarities and differences between two or more items.

• She likes to compare different brands before making a purchase
• They often compare exam results to gauge progress

Best for setting or evaluating against a standard, often used in business or technical contexts.

• The company uses last year's sales as a benchmark for this year's performance
• Developers benchmark their code to ensure efficiency

Best used to describe an established norm or level of quality that something is measured against.

• This product meets the industry standard for safety
• The school has a high standard of academic excellence

Often used in more informal contexts to describe a means of measuring or evaluating something, can sometimes carry a slightly negative connotation suggesting rigidity.

• Test scores are often used as the yardstick for student success
• Using profit as the only yardstick for performance can be misleading

Use when mentioning something as a source of information or for verification purposes.

• Please reference the manual for instructions on setup
• Her research paper included several references to previous studies