Definition of 'difference'
Word forms: plural differences
3. countable noun [usually plural, oft poss NOUN]
If people have their differences about something, they disagree about it.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
British English pronunciation
American English pronunciation
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Word Frequency
difference in British English
noun
1.
the state or quality of being unlike
2.
a specific instance of being unlike
3.
a distinguishing mark or feature
6.
a degree of distinctness, as between two people or things
9. See symmetric difference
12. See split the difference
13. See with a difference
verb (transitive)
14. rare
to distinguish
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word Frequency
difference in American English
noun
1.
condition, quality, fact, or instance of being different
2.
3.
b.
the point at issue; point of disagreement
5.
6.
a significant effect on or change in a situation
7. Ancient Mathematics
the amount by which one quantity differs from another; remainder left after subtraction
verb transitiveWord forms: ˈdifferˌenced or ˈdifferˌencing
8. Rare
to distinguish as or make different
Idioms:
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word Frequency
difference in American English
(ˈdɪfərəns, ˈdɪfrəns) (verb -enced, -encing)
noun
1.
the state or relation of being different; dissimilarity
There is a great difference between the two
2.
an instance or point of unlikeness or dissimilarity
What accounts for the differences in their behavior?
3.
a significant change in or effect on a situation
His tact makes a difference in the way people accept his suggestions
4.
a distinguishing characteristic; distinctive quality, feature, etc.
The difference in the two products is quality
5.
the degree to which one person or thing differs from another
6.
the act of distinguishing; discrimination; distinction
7.
a disagreement in opinion
8.
a dispute or quarrel
9. Also called: finite distance Math
a.
the amount by which one quantity is greater or less than another
b. See relative complement
c.
10.
a differentia
11. See split the difference
transitive verb
SYNONYMS 1. inconsistency, variation, diversity, imbalance, inequality, divergence, contrast,
contrariety. difference, discrepancy, disparity, dissimilarity imply perceivable unlikeness, variation, or diversity. difference refers to a lack of identity or a degree of unlikeness: a difference of opinion; a difference of six inches. discrepancy usually refers to an inconsistency between things that should agree, balance, or
harmonize: a discrepancy between the statements of two witnesses. disparity implies inequality, often where a greater equality might reasonably be expected:
a great disparity between the ages of husband and wife. dissimilarity indicates an essential lack of resemblance between things in some respect comparable:
a dissimilarity between social customs in Asia and America. 6. See distinction.ANTONYMS 1. similarity, agreement.12.
to cause or constitute a difference in or between; make different
13.
to perceive the difference in or between; discriminate
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Examples of 'difference' in a sentence
difference
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difference
heraldryQuick word challenge
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Which heraldic term am I?
the line of descent from a younger member of a family
Which heraldic term am I?
a conventionalized lion, the principal beast used as an emblem in heraldry. It has become the national emblem of Great Britain
Which heraldic term am I?
any of several charges in which one line crosses or joins another at right angles
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In other languages
difference
British English: difference
/ˈdɪfrəns/ NOUN
The difference between things is the way in which they are different from each other.
...the great difference in size.
- American English: difference /ˈdɪfərəns, ˈdɪfrəns/
- Arabic: اِخْتِلَاف
- Brazilian Portuguese: diferença
- Chinese: 差别
- Croatian: razlika
- Czech: rozdíl
- Danish: forskel
- Dutch: verschil
- European Spanish: diferencia
- Finnish: ero
- French: différence
- German: Unterschied
- Greek: διαφορά
- Italian: differenza
- Japanese: 違い
- Korean: 차이점
- Norwegian: forskjell
- Polish: różnica
- European Portuguese: diferença
- Romanian: diferență
- Russian: разница
- Latin American Spanish: diferencia
- Swedish: skillnad
- Thai: ความแตกต่าง
- Turkish: farklılık
- Ukrainian: різниця
- Vietnamese: sự khác nhau
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