Difference:Noun
1-A point or way in which people or things are not the same.
2-The state or condition of being dissimilar or unlike.
1-[COUNTABLE/UNCOUNTABLE]
something that makes one thing or person not the same as another thing or person
cultural/social/political differences
difference between: What's the difference between these two computers?
difference in: There's a big difference in the attitudes of town and country people.
slight/subtle/minor differences: There are subtle differences in their arrangement of the music.
significant/marked/major difference: the significant difference in sound quality between CDs and records
crucial/essential/fundamental difference: The fundamental difference between John and Jake is their attitudes to money.
2-[COUNTABLE] [USUALLY SINGULAR]
the amount by which one thing is different from another thing
The same car costs £500 less here, which is quite a difference!
difference of: The winner received 2365 votes, and the runner-up 2348 – a difference of only 17 votes.
age/price/temperature difference: Despite this age difference, they fell in love.
There's a world of difference between liking someone and wanting to marry them.
3-differences [PLURAL] disagreements about something
trying to smooth out differences between them
have your differences: Joe and I have had our differences, but we work well together.
resolve/settle your differences: The two parties agreed to settle their differences.
irreconcilable differences (=disagreements that cannot be settled): Journalists were told the talks had broken down because of irreconcilable differences.
PHRASES
make a difference
1-to have an important effect on something, especially a good effect
make a difference to: This scheme will certainly make a difference to the way I do my job.
2-something that makes a lot of difference has a good effect on a person or situation
make a big/a great deal of/a lot of difference: The fact that I can now organize my own time makes a big difference.
make all the difference (to someone): Having someone to talk to made all the difference to my mother.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of difference
make no/little difference
to not be important, or to not have any effect
Anybody can enjoy yoga, and your age makes absolutely no difference.
make no/little difference to: The news made little difference to his plans.
tell/see the difference
1-to notice what is different between similar people or things
tell/see the difference between: How do you tell the difference between the kittens?
2-to notice what has changed about someone or something
She said she'd had her hair cut, but I couldn't tell the difference.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of difference
with a difference
used for saying that something is more interesting or unusual than other similar things
It was a wedding with a difference – the bride wore black.
Get It Right!: difference
Get it right: difference
When you are talking about a way in which two people or things are different, use the pattern a difference in something (not 'difference of' or 'difference about'):
* There is a big difference of grammar between Japanese and English.
*There is a big difference in grammar between Japanese and English.
*There are major differences about language and customs in various areas in Korea.
*There are major differences in language and customs in various areas in Korea.
You can use difference of with a number or percentage, when you are talking about the amount by which two things are different:
He secured 50.7 per cent of the vote against 49.3 per cent (a difference of 227 votes).
Difference of is also used in the phrase difference of opinion which means 'a disagreement':
On this issue there is a major difference of opinion between the British government and most business leaders.
Don't use the expression make a difference to mean 'recognize that two things are different'. Use make/draw a distinction:
* Children cannot always make the difference between fiction and reality.
* Children cannot always make the distinction between fiction and reality.
The expression make a difference (to) means to have an effect on someone or something, often a positive effect:
Changes to the age of retirement make a difference to the amount of savings people need.
1-A point or way in which people or things are not the same.
2-The state or condition of being dissimilar or unlike.
1-[COUNTABLE/UNCOUNTABLE]
something that makes one thing or person not the same as another thing or person
cultural/social/political differences
difference between: What's the difference between these two computers?
difference in: There's a big difference in the attitudes of town and country people.
slight/subtle/minor differences: There are subtle differences in their arrangement of the music.
significant/marked/major difference: the significant difference in sound quality between CDs and records
crucial/essential/fundamental difference: The fundamental difference between John and Jake is their attitudes to money.
2-[COUNTABLE] [USUALLY SINGULAR]
the amount by which one thing is different from another thing
The same car costs £500 less here, which is quite a difference!
difference of: The winner received 2365 votes, and the runner-up 2348 – a difference of only 17 votes.
age/price/temperature difference: Despite this age difference, they fell in love.
There's a world of difference between liking someone and wanting to marry them.
3-differences [PLURAL] disagreements about something
trying to smooth out differences between them
have your differences: Joe and I have had our differences, but we work well together.
resolve/settle your differences: The two parties agreed to settle their differences.
irreconcilable differences (=disagreements that cannot be settled): Journalists were told the talks had broken down because of irreconcilable differences.
PHRASES
make a difference
1-to have an important effect on something, especially a good effect
make a difference to: This scheme will certainly make a difference to the way I do my job.
2-something that makes a lot of difference has a good effect on a person or situation
make a big/a great deal of/a lot of difference: The fact that I can now organize my own time makes a big difference.
make all the difference (to someone): Having someone to talk to made all the difference to my mother.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of difference
make no/little difference
to not be important, or to not have any effect
Anybody can enjoy yoga, and your age makes absolutely no difference.
make no/little difference to: The news made little difference to his plans.
tell/see the difference
1-to notice what is different between similar people or things
tell/see the difference between: How do you tell the difference between the kittens?
2-to notice what has changed about someone or something
She said she'd had her hair cut, but I couldn't tell the difference.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of difference
with a difference
used for saying that something is more interesting or unusual than other similar things
It was a wedding with a difference – the bride wore black.
Get It Right!: difference
Get it right: difference
When you are talking about a way in which two people or things are different, use the pattern a difference in something (not 'difference of' or 'difference about'):
* There is a big difference of grammar between Japanese and English.
*There is a big difference in grammar between Japanese and English.
*There are major differences about language and customs in various areas in Korea.
*There are major differences in language and customs in various areas in Korea.
You can use difference of with a number or percentage, when you are talking about the amount by which two things are different:
He secured 50.7 per cent of the vote against 49.3 per cent (a difference of 227 votes).
Difference of is also used in the phrase difference of opinion which means 'a disagreement':
On this issue there is a major difference of opinion between the British government and most business leaders.
Don't use the expression make a difference to mean 'recognize that two things are different'. Use make/draw a distinction:
* Children cannot always make the difference between fiction and reality.
* Children cannot always make the distinction between fiction and reality.
The expression make a difference (to) means to have an effect on someone or something, often a positive effect:
Changes to the age of retirement make a difference to the amount of savings people need.
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