distinguish

verb dis·tin·guish \ di-ˈstiŋ-(g)wish \

|Updated on: 17 Jun 2018

Examples: distinguish in a Sentence

Definition of distinguish

transitive verb

1 : to perceive a difference in : mentally separate

so alike they could not be distinguished

2 a : to mark as separate or different

a policy that distinguishes him from other candidates

b : to separate into kinds, classes, or categories

distinguish words by their part of speech

c : to make noteworthy or remarkable : to give prominence or distinction (see distinction 5) to

distinguished themselves as pioneers of hip-hop

d : characterize

recipes distinguished by simplicity

3 a : discern

distinguished a light in the distance

could barely distinguish them in the fog

b : to single out : take special notice of

intransitive verb

: to perceive a difference

distinguish between right and wrong

—

distinguishability

play \-ˌstiŋ-(g)wi-shə-ˈbi-lə-tē\ noun

—

distinguishable

play \-ˈstiŋ-(g)wi-shə-bəl\ adjective

—

distinguishably

play \-blē\ adverb

See distinguish defined for English-language learners

See distinguish defined for kids

Examples of distinguish in a Sentence

You're old enough to distinguish between fact and fantasy.
I have trouble distinguishing between the two of them.
I have trouble distinguishing the difference between the two of them.
You should be able to distinguish fact from fantasy.
The only thing that distinguishes the dogs is their bark.
The singer's voice is what distinguishes the band.
You can't distinguish the detail from this distance.

Recent Examples of distinguish from the Web

Maybe the best thing Fox can distinguish itself as the irreverent bratty sibling—the occasionally R-rated franchise that doesn’t take itself too seriously or care about being a capital-F Franchise.

— peter rubin, WIRED, "We Need to Talk About That Deadpool 2 Credits Scene," 21 May 2018
On this episode of Recode Decode, hosted by Kara Swisher, Alphabet chairman John Hennessy and Google distinguished engineer Dave Patterson talk about winning the 2017 Turing Award, a prestigious achievement in computer science.

— recode staff, Recode, "Full transcript: Dave Patterson and John Hennessy on Recode Decode," 17 May 2018
Her interchangeability has already distinguished the early part of the season for Kaneland (4-1).

— patrick z. mcgavin, Aurora Beacon-News, "Cincinnati recruit Rachael Lutter uses defensive experience to spark Kaneland's offense," 10 Apr. 2018
Get our daily newsletter The new man, Mr Pompeo, has distinguished himself in Mr Trump’s eyes by talking up a Trumpian, America First view of the world (see Lexington).

— The Economist, "American foreign policy after Rexit," 17 Mar. 2018
The distinguishing factor of a musci moss is the clear differentiation between their leaves and stems.

— kevin espiritu for partselect.com, Good Housekeeping, "How And Why You Should Try Growing Moss In Your Garden," 29 Aug. 2017
And both are supported by experiments which suggest that the change in question is crucial to the emergence of the big brains which distinguish human beings from all other living animal species.

— The Economist, "A history of big-headedness," 31 May 2018
Oberholtz said his time at the Four Seasons taught him the importance of service in distinguishing a business.

— david pierson, latimes.com, "Erik Oberholtz, co-founder of Tender Greens restaurant chain," 19 May 2018
Beyond her reputation as a gym rat, Mitchell’s distinguishing characteristic is dribbling speed.

— david woods, Indianapolis Star, "2018 season preview: Indiana Fever makeover starts with rookie Kelsey Mitchell," 18 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'distinguish.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of distinguish

alteration of Middle English distinguen, from Anglo-French distinguer, from Latin distinguere, literally, to separate by pricking, from dis- + -stinguere (akin to Latin instigare to urge on) — more at stick

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year