(1) A statement that compares the relationship (such as greater than or equal) of two items.
(2) In COBOL, a simple condition or a complex condition specified in an IF, a PERFORM, or a SEARCH statement.
(3) A compound expression that contains a condition (the first expression), an expression to be evaluated if the condition has a nonzero value (the second expression), and an expression to be evaluated if the condition has the value zero (the third expression).