difference
the state or relation of being different; dissimilarity: There is a great difference between the two.
an instance or point of unlikeness or dissimilarity: What accounts for the differences in their behavior?
a significant change in or effect on a situation: His tact makes a difference in the way people accept his suggestions.
a distinguishing characteristic; distinctive quality, feature, etc.: The difference in the two products is quality.
the degree to which one person or thing differs from another.
the act of distinguishing; discrimination; distinction.
a disagreement in opinion.
a dispute or quarrel.
Also called finite distance. Mathematics.
the amount by which one quantity is greater or less than another.
(of a function f) an expression of the form f(x + h) − f(x).
a differentia.
to cause or constitute a difference in or between; make different.
to perceive the difference in or between; discriminate.
Idioms about difference
split the difference,
to compromise, especially to make equal concessions.
to divide the remainder equally: Let's take half of the cake and let the three of them split the difference.
Origin of difference
1synonym study For difference
Other words for difference
Opposites for difference
Words Nearby difference
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use difference in a sentence
While you can also make a slurry with flour, there are certain differences between the two starches that one must take into consideration.
Sauce, gravy or stew too thin? We’ve got 3 ways to fix that. | Aaron Hutcherson | February 12, 2021 | Washington PostThese are generic industry terms that may sound good to include in your content but don’t necessarily make much of a difference.
A comprehensive guide on using Google Trends for keyword research | Aayush Gupta | February 12, 2021 | Search Engine WatchThen he talked about Florida and Michigan, and the differences between county authorities and phone lines and waitlists and lotteries and … it became obvious what his advantage was.
My mother and her friends couldn’t get coronavirus vaccine appointments, so they turned to a stranger for help. He’s 13. | Greg Harris | February 12, 2021 | Washington PostThe disproportionate death toll exposed the deadly consequences of poverty, exploitative and dangerous labor conditions and false beliefs about biological difference.
Medical racism has shaped U.S. policies for centuries | Deirdre Owens | February 12, 2021 | Washington PostTwo of her sons have neurodevelopmental differences and “wouldn’t know where to draw the line in public,” she explained.
Watching edgier TV with your kids during the pandemic? You’re not alone. | Bonnie Miller Rubin | February 11, 2021 | Washington Post
Again, the difference can seem subtle and sound more like splitting hairs, but the difference is important.
How Skinny Is Too Skinny? Israel Bans ‘Underweight’ Models | Carrie Arnold | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTOne difference was that Chen was herself wearing white gloves.
That is a distinction with a sociological difference—for many, an uncomfortable one to consider.
That is the difference between the protections embedded in our Bill of Rights and the lived lives of our citizenry.
What Would Happen if I Got in White Cop’s Face? | Goldie Taylor | December 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBut this may be a distinction without much of a difference—especially since Scalise admitted speaking before EURO.
Is the Bible revelation so clear and explicit that no difference of opinion as to its meaning is possible?
God and my Neighbour | Robert BlatchfordWe accepted the offer, so that they might see the difference between Christianity and their ungodliness.
And hence the reader can notice the fundamental difference between all other methods and mine.
Assimilative Memory | Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)The first two figures of the first group are 38, and the first two figures of the second group are 40—a difference of 2.
Assimilative Memory | Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)We were much alike in our tastes and habits, yet there was enough of difference between us to impart a relish to our friendship.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland | Joseph Tatlow
British Dictionary definitions for difference
/ (ˈdɪfərəns, ˈdɪfrəns) /
the state or quality of being unlike
a specific instance of being unlike
a distinguishing mark or feature
a significant change in a situation: the difference in her is amazing
a disagreement or argument: he had a difference with his wife
a degree of distinctness, as between two people or things
the result of the subtraction of one number, quantity, etc, from another
the single number that when added to the subtrahend gives the minuend; remainder
logic another name for differentia
maths (of two sets)
the set of members of the first that are not members of the second: Symbol: A – B
symmetric difference the set of members of one but not both of the given sets: Often symbolized: A + B
heraldry an addition to the arms of a family to represent a younger branch
make a difference
to have an effect
to treat differently
split the difference
to settle a dispute by a compromise
to divide a remainder equally
with a difference with some peculiarly distinguishing quality, good or bad
rare to distinguish
heraldry to add a charge to (arms) to differentiate a branch of a family
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with difference
see make a difference; split the difference. Also see under different.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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