distinguish
verb OPAL WOPAL S
/dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃ/
/dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃ/
Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they distinguish | /dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃ/ /dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃ/ |
| he / she / it distinguishes | /dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃɪz/ /dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃɪz/ |
| past simple distinguished | /dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃt/ /dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃt/ |
| past participle distinguished | /dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃt/ /dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃt/ |
| -ing form distinguishing | /dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃɪŋ/ /dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃɪŋ/ |
- [intransitive, transitive] to recognize the difference between two people or things synonym differentiate
- distinguish between A and B At what age are children able to distinguish between right and wrong?
- English law clearly distinguishes between murder and manslaughter.
- distinguish A from B It was hard to distinguish one twin from the other.
- distinguish A and B Sometimes reality and fantasy are hard to distinguish.
- We can distinguish five meanings of the word ‘mad’.
Extra Examples- It is often difficult to distinguish clearly between fact and fiction in this book.
- She could not distinguish one child from another.
- Small children have difficulty distinguishing fiction from reality.
- Troops cannot always reliably distinguish between combatants and civilians.
- Retailers should distinguish clearly between full-price and sale items.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- clearly
- sharply
- carefully
- …
- be able to
- can
- could
- …
- between
- from
- have difficulty distinguishing
- have difficulty in distinguishing
- have trouble distinguishing
- …
- [transitive] (not used in the progressive tenses) distinguish A (from B) to be a characteristic that makes two people, animals or things different
- What was it that distinguished her from her classmates?
- The male bird is distinguished from the female by its red beak.
- The adult bird can be readily distinguished by its orange bill.
- Does your cat have any distinguishing marks?
- The power of speech distinguishes human beings from animals.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- clearly
- sharply
- carefully
- …
- be able to
- can
- could
- …
- between
- from
- have difficulty distinguishing
- have difficulty in distinguishing
- have trouble distinguishing
- …
- [transitive] (not used in the progressive tenses) distinguish something to be able to see or hear something synonym differentiate, make out
- I could not distinguish her words, but she sounded agitated.
- She could not distinguish the make and colour of the car in the fading light.
- [transitive] distinguish yourself (as something) to do something so well that people notice and admire you
- She has already distinguished herself as an athlete.
Word Originlate 16th cent.: formed irregularly from French distinguer or Latin distinguere, from dis- ‘apart’ + stinguere ‘put out’ (from a base meaning ‘prick’).