difference
3 ENTRIES FOUND:
plural
differences
plural
differences
Britannica Dictionary definition of DIFFERENCE
1
:
the quality that makes one person or thing unlike another
[noncount]
-
She knows the difference between right and wrong.
-
There's no difference between the two houses. They look exactly the same.
[singular]
-
There's a striking difference in the sisters' looks. [=they look very different from each other]
◊ To tell the difference between two people or things is to see how they are unlike each other.
-
It's hard to tell the difference [=distinguish] between one action movie and another.
-
The new version is supposed to be much better than the old one, but I can't tell the difference (between them).
2
[count]
:
something that people do not agree about
:
a disagreement in opinion
-
They've always had their differences. [=they have always disagreed about some things]
-
The debate gave them a chance to air their differences. [=to discuss the things that they disagree about]
-
We need to find a way to resolve/settle our differences. [=to stop disagreeing, arguing, etc.]
-
There seems to be a difference of opinion [=people disagree] about what we should do next.
-
They divorced because of irreconcilable differences. [=serious disagreements that they were not able to settle]
3
[count]
:
the degree or amount by which things differ
-
There's a big difference in price.
-
There's a 15-year age difference between her oldest and youngest children. [=her oldest child is fifteen years older than her youngest child]
make a difference
1
:
to cause a change
:
to be important in some way
-
Cost can make a difference in deciding on a college.
-
“When would you like to leave?” “It makes no difference (to me).” [=it doesn't matter to me; I don't care]
-
The weather didn't make any difference in our plans. [=didn't change our plans]
-
It would make a lot of difference if you came.
-
Your help made a big difference.
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It makes very little difference. [=it matters very little]
-
The size of the engine can make all the difference. [=can be very important; can matter most]
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It may not matter to you, but it makes all the difference in the world to me. = It makes a world of difference to me. [=it matters very much to me]
2
:
to do something that is important
:
to do something that helps people or makes the world a better place
-
She says that she got into politics because she wanted to make a difference.
same difference
chiefly US, informal
— used to say that two things are not really different in any important way
-
“They lost 100 games last year.” “Actually, they only lost 96 games.” “Same difference. The point is, they were awful.”
split the difference
what's the difference?
1
— used to ask how one thing is different from another
-
“I like this one a lot more than that one.” “Why? What's the difference (between them)?”
2
or
what difference does it/that make?
— used to ask why something is important or to suggest that something is not important
-
What's the difference whether I go or not?
-
What difference does it make [=what does it matter] if I go with you?
