To compare means to examine two or more things to find how they're similar or different. When you compare apples and oranges (despite the saying!), you might notice both are fruits that grow on trees, but apples are crunchy while oranges are juicy and segmented. When you compare two books you've read, you think about their plots, characters, and which one you enjoyed more.

Teachers often ask students to compare and contrast ideas, which means looking at both similarities and differences. You might compare your math quiz scores from September and January to see how much you've improved, or compare two vacation destinations to decide which sounds more exciting.

Your brain constantly compares new experiences to things you already know. When you taste a new fruit, you automatically compare it to fruits you've tried before. When you meet someone new, you might compare their personality to your other friends'.

Comparison is the noun form. Making fair comparisons means looking at things in the same category: comparing your running speed today versus last month makes sense, but comparing your speed to an Olympic athlete's isn't particularly useful for measuring your own progress.