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- pronunciation:
- dih
stIng
gwihsh
| part of speech: |
verb |
| inflections: |
distinguishes, distinguishing, distinguished |
| definition 1: |
When you distinguish similar things, you can see how they are different. If you can't distinguish things, they seem the same to you.
Can you distinguish Japanese writing from Chinese writing? They look very similar if you don't know the difference.The twins look so much the same that most people cannot distinguish them.- synonyms:
- tell
- similar words:
- characterize, contrast, mark, signal, single out
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| definition 2: |
If you can distinguish a person's face in the dark, you can tell who it is. You can see their face clearly even if it's a little difficult. If you can distinguish a voice or a sound, you can tell whose it is or what the sound is.
Even in a crowd of people, Mrs. Clay can distinguish her husband's laugh.- similar words:
- detect, determine, identify, note, perceive, see
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| definition 3: |
If you distinguish yourself, you act in way that other people notice. Often, when you distinguish yourself, you have done something better than others, or you have acted in a way that others didn't. That's why people notice you.
Carla distinguished herself in the race yesterday. She won, but she also beat the record.During the war, Captain Lopez distinguished himself in battle. He saved the lives of four other men.- similar words:
- characterize, honor
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| definition 4: |
If you can distinguish between one thing and another, you can tell the difference between them. You can feel that they are different and you can tell the ways they are different.
Travis can't distinguish between butter and margarine. He thinks they taste the same.- similar words:
- decide
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| related words: |
observe, recognize, recommend, spot |
| derivations: |
distinguishable (adj.), distinguishably (adv.), distinguishingly (adv.) |
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