equate someone or something with someone or something
to compare people and things, in any combination. I tend to equate Tom with trouble. I equate the Johnsons with a long boring evening.
equate
someone to someone else and equate something to something else to claim that someone is in some manner the same as someone else; to claim that something is in some manner the same as something else. I would equate Tom to Wallywhen it comes to native ability. You cannot equate my car to that jalopy you drive!