DIFFERENCE


Meaning of DIFFERENCE in English

noun

COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES

a crucial difference

There is a crucial difference between the British and American attitudes.

a dramatic difference

The programs made a dramatic difference to the lives of millions of people.

a fundamental difference

There is no fundamental difference between people of different races.

a gender difference

Research has shown that there are gender differences in the way alcohol affects the brain.

a huge difference/gap etc

The new system has made a huge difference.

a radical difference

There is a radical difference between this and other dieting methods.

an essential difference

The essential difference between the two boats lies in the design of the hull.

big difference

There’s a big difference between understanding something and being able to explain it to others.

class differences (= differences that exist because of your class )

There are noticeable class differences in family size.

cultural differences

People must accept each others’ cultural differences.

detect a change/difference

Dan detected a change in her mood.

have a difference of opinion (= two people disagree )

He and Luke had a difference of opinion.

irreconcilable differences/conflicts

The differences between the landowners and the conservationists were irreconcilable from the start.

make up the difference

The company will be forced to pay $6 million to make up the difference .

noticeable difference/change/increase etc

a noticeable improvement in air quality

patch up...differences

Try to patch up your differences before he leaves.

resolve your differences (= stop arguing with each other )

She and Rose had finally resolved their differences.

settle your differences (= agree to stop arguing )

The two recently met to settle their differences.

significant difference

There is a significant difference between the number of home births now and ten years ago.

COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS

■ ADJECTIVE

big

But when couples were asked how many children they were likely to have in reality, bigger social class differences became apparent.

But pay has proven to make a big difference at organizations that are smaller and less well known, too.

Donald's presence certainly made a big difference to the speed we arose that day.

There is a reason for that: There is a big difference in attendance patterns for the two sports.

One big difference from the normal formation was that there were five defenders playing, not the usual four.

To a reasonably detached observer, the biggest difference between real estate folks and editor folks is the questions they ask.

It is the biggest difference between New York and other cities.

Distraction turns out to make a big difference in how well memories are stored.

cultural

Social perspectives on cognition have come to accept cultural differences not as deficits but as important variation.

Not that racial and cultural differences can not exist.

And the cultural difference is even more pronounced when it comes to personnel.

Families strong enough to embrace the cultural differences of their children will give them wings to fly home.

Health authorities are encouraged to arrange for the services which ethnic minority communities need and which reflect cultural differences .

Ted jokes that there really are some cultural differences .

Inability to cope with cultural differences may not show itself immediately.

We must allow for these cultural differences .

essential

This has led to the argument that there is no essential difference between debt and tax finance.

The market-based economies and private ownership in Western democracies make an essential difference in the scope and application of the centralization concepts.

To help the learner, complex examples should be reduced to the essential characteristics and differences emphasised.

And in that there lies an essential difference between the painters and the poets here.

The essential difference between single-step selection and cumulative selection is this.

Whether they made an essential difference is another story, but I tend to think that everything counts.

The essential difference between free email and its paid for counterpart is that the email service is provided through a Web interface.

This is the essential difference between anthropology and Darwinism.

fundamental

And here lies a fundamental difference of opinion - how should a National Park operate?

And while there are fundamental differences between Eastern and Western medicine, this is no new age fad.

This fundamental difference with the position of earlier radicals required theoretical analysis in two areas.

What he did not say was that the two parties have fundamental differences on all these matters.

It is rather that there is a fundamental difference in the distribution of syntactic features between the two modes.

Climate change is making a fundamental difference .

There is a crucial and fundamental difference , not always appreciated, between acquaintances and friends.

But by now even more fundamental differences were beginning to appear.

great

The greatest difference between these cars and 46-55 lay in the trucks.

It was not surprising that the greatest difference occurred On the measure of persistence, drive, and sense of duty.

It was indeed hierarchical: both in theory and practice it made a great difference where a man was born.

Not a great difference , but a clear trend.

There are, however, great differences in linguistic style between academically and non-academically oriented children.

To be sure, there are even greater differences .

Layout and design can make a great difference in increasing sales.

That was the great difference , or rather, the fruit of a great difference symbolized by the Macanese themselves.

huge

For both children modern gadgets like these make a huge difference when it comes to learning about the world around them.

A: The stuff on the Internet side of your modem can make for huge differences in speed.

This rate varies from lender to lender and can make a huge difference to the overall cost of your loan.

The sense of fear makes a huge difference .

Despite the huge differences in cost, few borrowers ever make an effort to switch their mortgage to a cheaper lender.

Now it has thawed again, and there is a huge difference .

Some parts of the motorway have had lights installed, making a huge difference to visibility.

Moving the speakers as little as an inch or two forward or backward can make a huge difference .

important

However, Weber sees important differences in the market situation of the propertyless groups in society.

Within this general pattern we must however be careful to distinguish some important regional differences .

There were, however, important differences .

There is an important difference , however, between Eudoxos's proposal and that of Dedekind and Weierstrass.

Despite such important differences , these two political ideologies nevertheless share certain affinities with respect to their visions of law and government.

They delay improvements that might have made an important difference to the lives of many individuals.

It must be stressed that there are important differences between stage hypnotism and the techniques used in alternative medicine.

There is, however, an important difference here from the contestable markets case.

little

It makes little or no difference to bed-wetting and denying the drink will seem like a punishment.

The pressing seemed to make little difference and only with the extended salting times.

They drag on from generation to generation and emigration to Britain makes very little difference .

At the time it made little difference what it might be since I glided in and out of consciousness throughout the procedure.

There is little difference between the two.

For Apple, countering the perception that there was little difference between Macintosh and Windows was a difficult task.

Amongst Sun readers, there was little difference between Labour and Conservative identifiers in their perceptions of its anti-Labour, pro-Conservative bias.

That was why what happened on the boat makes very little difference to me.

main

The main difference between the two is the melting point of the solder.

The main difference is that men do not blame themselves for their ambivalence toward parenthood.

List the main differences in chemical composition between the Earth and the Moon. 7.

The main difference is that before we made quality of life enforcement a high priority.

Describe the main differences in the budgeting process for a small retail firm and a large manufacturing firm.

The main difference is that commas are more formal than dashes.

The other main difference between the two species is far more difficult to explain.

Discuss the main differences between accountant's and engineer's control models.

major

Indeed, this is a major difference between social science and journalism.

The major differences may lie in the degree of the problems and the possibilities for solutions.

However, there are major differences .

This may explain the major difference between men and women when it comes to reading and reacting to others.

It is likely that there are major differences inside firms which will affect the patterns of cooperation and conflict.

There were also major differences in the two trials.

But he points out major differences .

only

The only difference is a difference of degree.

The only difference is that the work simply does not get published.

The only difference is that this time the scope of our work is civil, mechanical and electrical.

But the only difference between these two sentences lies in the choice of the lexical item as object.

The only area of difference between women which woman-centred feminists consistently address is that of sexuality.

The only difference is that the actual futures price is £62 000.

The only difference between us is that you have a wife and three kids.

The only difference now is that people are not surprised and perhaps, therefore, better prepared for the shock.

real

What real difference would £250 make to us?

My new firm gave me the chance to make a real difference .

What real difference will it make to you to rethink this aspect of your employment?

Attitudinal differences are reinforced by what are very real differences in economic situations....

The real difference , however, lies in the directors' approaches.

The real difference between approving or rejecting the bonds comes down to where those road projects are going to go.

The real difference is observable in the breakdown of scenes and the manner in which Britten chooses to deploy the dramatic action.

The real difference between him and Reed, however, is from the neck up.

significant

Within these overall figures there were significant phase differences .

There are significant differences in the morphology and degree of volcanic activity associated with these two types of rift.

Financial Participation and Liability Here can be seen some of the most significant differences between partnerships and companies.

There was no significant difference in percentage of cells in S phase in the distal colon of rats in both diet groups.

Previous gastric surgery was uncommon in all three groups and showed no significant difference .

There are, of course, differences and I've often wondered what is the most significant difference.

Thirty-nine percent. of the cases observed received a caution with no significant difference between races.

There was no significant difference in severity of disease between the groups who had obtained and had not obtained higher qualifications.

subtle

Basically all the major schemes have the same rules, with a couple of subtle differences .

Newborn infants are also better at hearing subtle differences , compared with adults.

Other, more subtle differences show up in the symmetry properties of weak and electromagnetic interactions.

A child can not comprehend the subtle difference between illegal segregation in the South and racial imbalance in the North.

Each involves subtle differences in the investment strategy of the parties involved.

There is efficacy and grace in the process alone and the subtle differences come only with experience.

Perfect pitch is necessary for understanding the subtle differences between similar sounding words in these languages, she says.

It seemed to me this evening that there was a subtle difference about him.

■ NOUN

age

There was a considerable age difference at death, Barathes being 68 while his wife was only 30.

The nearly 23 years between their birthdays would be the largest age difference ever between major-party presidential candidates.

And she says the age difference doesn't bother her a bit.

There was the age difference and everything.

As well as age differences , ethnic groups also show differences in their occupational structure and family patterns.

But the age difference can be easily emphasized without overt acknowledgement.

It was at a time when there was a big age difference: the elder students were ex-soldiers.

In fact, it was inevitable that this would happen, given our age difference .

class

There are no social class differences .

Highlighting class differences to emphasize his own down-to-earth roots is nothing new to Dole.

However, there were also marked class differences .

The social class difference in frequency of shopping is negligible.

When the authors looked at the proportion of the community experiencing vulnerability factors, important social class differences emerged.

But when couples were asked how many children they were likely to have in reality, bigger social class differences became apparent.

There were some clear social class differences in their answers.

gender

Feminist psychologists tend to see the significance of gender differences much as conventional psychologists do.

Past research has looked at how the age of puberty affects subsequent risk of problems and found sharp gender differences .

Potentially the hermaphrodite dissolves gender difference and, at least in its associated idea of androgyny, has become acceptable.

Why are there such gender differences ?

Another issue, as yet little studied or confronted, is that of gender differences in access to education and achievement at school.

Federman said this gender difference is consistent with that in the general public.

In contrast, Piaroa minimize gender differences and maintain the same normative code of non-violent behaviour for both males and females.

The gender differences explored here are social constructions that have had influence in certain mainstream discourses.

■ VERB

detect

Limited specifications in automatic exposure and focusing will disappoint photography buffs, though few would detect tangible differences in the average snapshot.

Just like your language instructor, they can detect the slight differences between certain speech sounds that adults will insist are identical.

This lateral line system enables the fish to detect differences of pressure in the water.

Rex was taking the water temperature three times a day, but it did not need his thermometer to detect the difference .

Many previous studies have sought risk factors retrospectively in the context of trials designed primarily to detect a difference between antiulcer treatments.

Such a person would end up with a few very large schemata and would be unable to detect differences in things.

A partner may not detect the difference and the woman herself may be confused.

He never detected any difference in speed, no matter how far apart the hills he and his assistants climbed.

explain

To explain the difference between the two structures, they are placed in a realistic context.

This may explain the major difference between men and women when it comes to reading and reacting to others.

Other risk factors, not related to ethnicity, probably explain remaining differences between Maori and non-Maori children.

Political socialization research attempts to explain how such differences in political beliefs can occur.

This could also explain the difference in biliary lipid secretion rate between the two groups.

This paper seeks to describe and explain observed grade differences in sickness absence.

The doctors must be called to explain their differences .

The first is that enormous amounts of professional time and effort will be absorbed in explaining apparent differences between classes and schools.

find

And some day we all have to find out the difference between romance and real life.

Past research has looked at how the age of puberty affects subsequent risk of problems and found sharp gender differences .

We found a significant difference in the antral mucosal peptic activity before and after treatment.

He found no difference in employment levels.

We found no differences between the sexes, and age did not significantly influence the concentrations of laminin.

Three studies found no difference between those taking beta carotene supplements and those on a placebo pill.

Once we distinguished between party supporters and uncommitted voters we found no consistent differences between voters with different viewing habits.

And many women who have had surgical removal of the ovaries find that the difference in desire can be quite sudden.

make

It was indeed hierarchical: both in theory and practice it made a great difference where a man was born.

It makes no difference at all.

But it doesn't seem to make any difference .

Such programs can make a big difference for the students they serve.

I thought it would make a difference being a Mrs but it didn't.

I think that makes a difference .

Separating the eggs makes all the difference .

Relationships even make a difference with animals, it seems.

mark

The debate was to mark a lasting difference between East and West.

We were drawn together partly be-cause of, not in spite of, the marked differences in our personalities.

The basic convention underlying all fiction marks its difference from fact.

This isolation, like the isolation in terrestrial evolution, breeds variety and marked differences .

Bands lack formal leaders, so there are no marked economic differences or disparities in status among their members.

That is what marks the enormous valuational difference between organisms and persons.

Perhaps this marks the single biggest difference between Marxist Socialism, and Empirical Socialism as it is now practised.

notice

Try comparing a plucked note on a violin and on a mandolin and you will certainly notice the difference .

Have you noticed any difference in the service you get from Washington bureaucrats during the last two weeks of December?

The deal would create Britain's largest independent broadcasting group, but both companies say the viewer shouldn't notice any difference .

They are so certain of their theories and experience that they are unable to notice individual differences .

You will soon notice the difference if you make a sudden switch between the two.

He was too drunk to notice the difference .

Friday Haven't noticed any difference so far this year.

I want my children to notice differences in language, too.

reflect

It also highlights significant regional variations, possibly reflecting a marked difference in schools' approach to discipline.

We think what this reflects is an honest difference of opinion about business decisions.

The split reflected a portentous difference of approach within the Party.

With older children, the issues are more complex and may truly reflect differences in male and female attitudes.

This variation in signal intensity may reflect the differences in the cell density of tissues that express the gene.

Expressions of power often reflect honest differences between people seeking to achieve their work-related objectives.

Tenure differences may also reflect differences in lifestyle and attitudes.

The split reflects a difference of opinion simmering for months within the Republican Party.

resolve

The way to resolve political differences is through debate, dialogue and the ballot box, not on the streets.

Your contribution may well resolve some of this difference or create more conflicting points for further argument.

When the two kings had resolved their differences , Dynamius sided firmly with Childebert.

I think we have differences , but we should attempt to resolve those differences.

This is because low-pitched sounds have long wavelengths which can not resolve the difference between closely spaced objects.

Efforts to resolve the differences were put off until this year.

However, they resolved those differences during final floor votes and afterward appeared together with Gov.

Melissa wondered what was passing though her mind and whether she and Rose had resolved their differences .

settle

Having settled her differences , she gave my hand a tentative lick.

Clearly, however, we are never going to settle our religious differences with respect to education through the political process.

It is that they are not talking because they see no way to settle their differences .

No Boston painter would have attempted to settle an aesthetic difference like Luks did when he punched Edmund Tarbell in the jaw.

But Lissovsky's biggest problem is to persuade the gangsters who frequent the club to settle their differences elsewhere.

We have to settle our differences and come together as one.

The warring sides finally came face-to-face at a meeting designed to help them settle their differences .

Finding nonviolent ways of settling differences between diverse groups of interests is the essence of democracy.

show

The distribution of the payments likewise shows considerable differences between the sexes.

Perhaps if you get his attention, you could show him the difference between erotica and comedy.

A short table should suffice to show the differences .

With the exit polls Tuesday showing an unprecedented gender difference of 17 points, Clinton stretched the gap into a gulf.

The lunar samples show some striking differences from Earth rocks.

The drawing shows some other differences .

Despite this both Study 2 and Study 3 failed to show any significant differences between the ten junctions in recognition performance.

These showed no statistical difference in the concentrations of the various forms of gastrins between the different methods of sample preparation.

PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES

a wide variation/difference/gap etc

But there is, indeed, still a wide gap in the use of flexibility.

But when the national polls are a wide gap, the country is pretty likely to follow.

Just as there may be a wide variation in the inputs, so may the outputs vary.

Solids exhibit a wide variation in rigidity.

The second column also shows that there is a wide variation between regions in the proportion of exports to foreign debt.

There is a wide difference between promise and performance.

Waiting time by specialty is meaningless as it conceals a wide variation among consultants' clinics.

Within the general waste type shown in these figures exists a wide variation.

bury the hatchet/bury your differences

irreconcilable differences

As soon as the meeting began, however, irreconcilable differences emerged.

The principal advocates of the works, however, often present irreconcilable differences in both interpretation and methods of advocacy.

The subjective nature of measuring program effectiveness may lead to irreconcilable differences between the review staff and program management.

They want us to believe irreconcilable differences are the reason she filed for divorce?

not make a blind bit of difference

not the slightest chance/doubt/difference etc

But whether the parent with the yellow flowers supplies the egg or the pollen makes not the slightest difference.

I tried closing my eyes; it made not the slightest difference.

There was now not the slightest doubt that Hsu was decaying and losing her structural integrity.

same difference

The same difference of sense recurs in the following: 79.

The same differences are evident in pay disparity, which is greatest at doctoral universities and the least at four-year colleges.

sink your differences

split the difference

Their offer is only about $500 dollars less than we're asking, so we'll probably just split the difference.

Even those who attempt to split the difference are not too fussy about where the line is drawn.

Now let me see if I can split the difference.

Ross proposed that they split the difference and suggested a date in 1998.

We decided that I would live and split the difference between then and a projected now.

EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES

Calculate the difference between the amount you started with and what you have left.

He's speaking Italian, not Spanish. Don't you know the difference ?

I don't think there's any difference in the way you pronounce these two words.

I prefer the Peugeot 406 to the 405. What's the price difference ?

If you put all your savings towards the cost of a bike, your Dad and I will pay the difference .

The difference between the two cheeses is that one is made from goat's milk.

The trade deficit is the difference between imports and exports.

There is a vast difference between daytime and night-time temperatures in the desert.

There was fifteen years difference in age between the two women.

Try and spot the differences between these two pictures.

We should think about the similarities between cultures, not the differences.

EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS

Create an environment where every employee can feel that he or she can make a difference .

Even in post-classical law, then, some differences of significance between legacies and trusts persisted.

From the styles of the two painters their difference is apparent.

It provides attenuation of potential difference represented by when it is negligibly loaded.

Look for little touches that will make the difference .

Perhaps the biggest differences in attitudes toward guns come between men and women.

The difference with Vygotsky's views on this issue is handled well.

The explanation of the difference is important for a number of reasons.

Longman DOCE5 Extras English vocabulary.      Дополнительный английский словарь Longman DOCE5.