Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

difference

 noun
     
dif‧fe‧rence S1 W1
1 [uncountable and countable] a way in which two or more people or things are not like each other [≠ similarity]COLLOCATIONS COLLOCATIONS
big/major/important/significant difference small/minor difference subtle difference (=not obvious) marked difference (=very noticeable) there's no difference (=they are the same) there's very little difference (=they are very similar) there's a world of difference (=they are very different) know/can tell the difference (=be able to recognize the difference) spot the difference (=notice the difference)
difference between
The main difference between the groups was age.
There's a big difference between knowing that something is true, and being able to prove it.
difference in
Researchers found a number of important differences in the way boys and girls learn.
There was a marked difference in his behavior toward me.
There was certainly no difference between them in terms of intelligence.
There is very little difference between the parties on green issues.
Do children know the difference between right and wrong?
See if you can spot the difference between these two pictures.
Class differences still play an important role in society.
2 [singular, uncountable] the amount by which one thing is greater or smaller than another
difference in age/size etc
There's not much difference in price.
There's a five-hour time difference between London and New York.

➔ split the difference

at split1 (9)
3

make a/the difference

to have an important effect or influence on something or someone:
Whatever she did, it made no difference.
make a/the difference to
One more person wouldn't make any difference to the arrangements.
make a/the difference between
It could make the difference between missing your train and getting to work on time.
Having a good teacher has made all the difference for Alex (=had an important influence).
4

it makes no difference to somebody

used to say that it does not matter to someone which thing happens, is chosen etc:
Morning or afternoon. It makes no difference to me.
5

our/your/their differences

disagreements:
We've had our differences in the past.
settle/resolve your differences (=agree not to argue any more)
6

difference of opinion

a slight disagreement:
There have been some differences of opinion as to exactly how the money should be spent.
7

with a difference

informal used to describe something which is interesting or unusual, especially in a good way:
an adventure holiday with a difference
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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