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Distinguish Distinguished Dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃ Hard Children Distinguishing Verb Bre

Word distinguish
WordType (verb)
Phonetic BrE / dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃ / NAmE / dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃ /
Example
  • at what age are children able to distinguish between right and wrong?
  • english law clearly distinguishes between murder and manslaughter.
  • it was hard to distinguish one twin from the other.
  • sometimes reality and fantasy are hard to distinguish.
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Content

distinguish

(verb)BrE / dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃ / NAmE / dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃ /
  1. to recognize the difference between two people or things
    • synonym differentiate
      https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/differentiate
    • At what age are children able to distinguish between right and wrong?
    • English law clearly distinguishes between murder and manslaughter.
    • It was hard to distinguish one twin from the other.
    • Sometimes reality and fantasy are hard to distinguish.
    • We can distinguish five meanings of the word ‘mad’.
  2. 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.
    • Does your cat have any distinguishing marks?
    • The power of speech distinguishes human beings from animals.
  3. to be able to see or hear something
    • synonym differentiate
      https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/differentiate
    • 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.
  4. to do something so well that people notice and admire you
    • She has already distinguished herself as an athlete.

    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.
    • The adult bird can be readily distinguished by its orange bill.
    • Troops cannot always reliably distinguish between combatants and civilians.
    • Retailers should distinguish clearly between full-price and sale items.

    Verb Forms

    • present simple I / you / we / they distinguish
    • he / she / it distinguishes
    • past simple distinguished
    • past participle distinguished
    • -ing form distinguishing

    Word Origin

    • late 16th cent.: formed irregularly from French distinguer or Latin distinguere, from dis- ‘apart’ + stinguere ‘put out’ (from a base meaning ‘prick’).
Copyright This card's content is collected from the following dictionaries: Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

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