What does "compare" mean?

What two things are compared, the positive attributes and similarities between them are judged in relation to each other. It may also be decided if one item has superior qualities to the other.

Comparison is often used in combination with contrasting items. While comparing looks at similarities, contrasting focuses on the differences. When both of these techniques are used together, decisions about quality or preference are more easily made. Many things are often analyzed in this way. For example, apples should not be compared to oranges because they are too different, but if contrasting is also employed, a well-informed decision can be reached about which one a person prefers.