difference
noun OPAL WOPAL S
/ˈdɪfrəns/
/ˈdɪfrəns/
Idioms - [countable, uncountable] the way in which two people or things are not like each other; the way in which somebody/something has changed
- Americans and Brits speak the same language, but there are big cultural differences.
- difference between A and B There are no significant differences between the education systems of the two countries.
- He was studying the similarities and differences between humans and animals.
- I can never tell the difference (= distinguish) between the twins.
- difference in something There's no difference in the results.
- There is a fundamental difference in approach to conservation in Japan.
- She noticed a marked difference in the children on her second visit.
- Her work questions notions of gender difference.
- What a difference! You look great with your hair like that.
- difference among something Differences among beetle species may prove to be a key factor.
- despite differences Despite their differences, the two are great friends.
Language Bank contrastcontrastHighlighting differences- This survey highlights a number of differences in the way that teenage boys and girls in the UK spend their free time.
- One of the main differences between the girls and the boys who took part in the research was the way in which they use the internet.
- Unlike the girls, who use the internet mainly to keep in touch with friends, the boys questioned in this survey tend to use the internet for playing computer games.
- The girls differ from the boys in that they tend to spend more time keeping in touch with friends on the phone or on social networking websites.
- Compared to the boys, the girls spend much more time chatting to friends on the phone.
- On average the girls spend four hours a week chatting to friends on the phone. In contrast, very few of the boys spend more than five minutes a day talking to their friends in this way.
- The boys prefer competitive sports and computer games, whereas/while the girls seem to enjoy more cooperative activities, such as shopping with friends.
- When the girls go shopping, they mainly buy clothes and cosmetics. The boys, on the other hand, tend to purchase computer games or gadgets.
Extra ExamplesTopics Opinion and argumenta1- Can you spot the difference between these two photos?
- Customers can see the difference in quality.
- He was very aware of his difference from the other children.
- I noticed a real difference in his attitude.
- It's difficult to tell the difference between butterflies and moths.
- One tiny mistake when you're climbing could mean the difference between life and death.
- Only an expert would know the difference between the male and the female.
- Our different attitudes to life reflect the differences in our backgrounds.
- The difference lies in the way the fruit is prepared.
- The difference with this information service is that it's free.
- The differences in size arise from the amount of sunshine each plant gets.
- The questionnaire showed vast differences in what kind of product people want.
- The study explores the differences between the way girls and boys talk.
- There are few important policy differences among the main parties.
- There is a striking difference between eastern and western Europe.
- There is one key difference with the earlier version of the software.
- There's a big difference between reading about skiing and doing it yourself.
- There's all the difference in the world between choosing to do something and being forced to do it.
- There's not much difference between baseball and softball.
- We found no significant difference between the two groups.
- We should be focusing on what we have in common rather than emphasizing our differences.
- a crucial difference of emphasis
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- big
- broad
- considerable
- …
- make
- mean
- emphasize
- …
- be
- lie
- arise (from something)
- …
- difference among
- difference between
- difference from
- …
- a… with a difference
- all the difference in the world
- a great deal of difference
- …
- [singular, uncountable] the amount that something is greater or smaller than something else
- difference in something We measured the difference in temperature.
- difference between A and B The difference between the two numbers gives you the profit.
- There's an age difference of six years between the boys (= one is six years older than the other).
- difference in something between A and B There is not much difference in price between the two brands.
- I'll lend you £500 and you'll have to find the difference (= the rest of the money that you need).
Extra Examples- He didn't have enough money, but his aunt agreed to make up the difference.
- He sold the car for more than he'd paid and pocketed the difference.
- I found very little difference in size.
- If you decide on the more expensive model, you can bring this one back and pay the difference.
- The difference in price is not very significant.
- What's the time difference between London and Tokyo?
- People disapproved of their marriage because of the age difference.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverb + difference- pay
- make up
- …
- [countable] a disagreement between people
- We have our differences, but she's still my sister.
- Why don't you settle your differences and be friends again?
- There was a difference of opinion over who had won.
Extra ExamplesTopics Opinion and argumentc1- We're going to get the two sides together to see if they can't settle their differences.
- They have had some minor differences, but in general they get on well together.
- Differences may arise when the young people do not have the same expectations as their parents.
- She and Luke had a difference of opinion over how much money they should spend.
- Although the talks were generally successful, differences remain between the groups.
- Like any married couple, we have our differences.
- There were some differences as to how to deal with the crisis.
- These talks aim to resolve the outstanding differences between the two sides.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- irreconcilable
- major
- serious
- …
- have
- make up
- patch up
- …
- arise
- emerge
- occur
- …
- difference as to
- difference over
- a difference of opinion
- have your differences
Word OriginMiddle English: via Old French from Latin differentia ‘difference’, from different- ‘carrying away’, from the verb differre, from dis- ‘from, away’ + ferre ‘bring, carry’.
Idioms
bury the hatchet | bury your differences
- to stop not being friendly and become friends again
- After not speaking to each other for years, the two brothers decided to bury the hatchet.
a distinction without a difference
- a point that somebody wants to suggest is a difference when in fact it is not different at all
- His government did not brand them terrorists, but rather ‘an entity that supports terrorism’. That may prove to be a distinction without a difference.
make all the difference (to somebody/something)
- to have an important effect on somebody/something; to make somebody feel better
- A few kind words at the right time make all the difference.
- Just five minutes' exercise a day could make all the difference.
make a, no, some, etc. difference (to somebody/to something/in something)
- to have an effect/no effect on somebody/something
- The rain didn't make much difference to the game.
- Your age shouldn't make any difference to whether you get the job or not.
- Changing schools made a big difference to my life.
- What difference will it make if he knows or not?
- I don't think it makes a lot of difference what colour it is (= it is not important).
- ‘Shall we go on Friday or Saturday?’ ‘It makes no difference (to me).’
Extra Examples- The extra money will make a lot of difference to us.
- What difference does it make if he doesn't have a car?
- A small number of additional jobs can make a crucial difference to economic conditions.
- The new central heating has made an enormous difference to the house.
same difference
- (informal) used to say that you think the differences between two things are not important
- ‘That's not a xylophone, it's a glockenspiel.’ ‘Same difference.’
sink your differences
- to agree to forget about your disagreements
- We need to sink our differences and present a united opposition to the plan.
split the difference
- (when discussing a price, etc.) to agree on an amount that is at an equal distance between the two amounts that have been suggested
- I offered €200 but he wanted €300. In the end, we split the difference and I paid him €250.
- (figurative) I wanted to leave early and Ian wanted to leave late, so we split the difference and left at noon.
with a difference
- (informal) (after nouns) used to show that something is interesting or unusual
- The traditional backpack with a difference—it's waterproof.
- If you want a holiday with a difference, come to Iceland.
a/the world of difference
- (informal) used to emphasize how much difference there is between two things
- There's a world of difference between liking someone and loving them.