make a difference
idiom
1
: to cause a change : to be important in some way
Cost can make a difference in deciding on a college.
Your help made a big difference.
It may not matter to you, but it makes a world of difference to me.
2
: to do something that is important : to do something that helps people or makes the world a better place
She says that she got into politics because she wanted to make a difference.
Examples of make a difference in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But Edgecombe has shown, including Thursday night, how much that elite talent can make a difference.
—
Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 27 Feb. 2026
Even small changes, like adding a short walk to your lunch break or making efforts to include one more serving of vegetables at dinner, can cumulatively make a difference.
—Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 25 Feb. 2026
At the film’s center is Seyo Kim (Chen Emilie Yan), a meek state lawyer looking to make a difference, but who accepts, with begrudging sighs, her department’s 80% rate of dropping hate crime prosecutions as just another part of the job.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 23 Feb. 2026
The Narragansett Town Council now has an opportunity to right, in part, an egregious wrong and make a difference in the lives of the tribal citizens’ descendants.
—Antonia Noori Farzan, The Providence Journal, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for make a difference
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 27 Feb. 2026
Even small changes, like adding a short walk to your lunch break or making efforts to include one more serving of vegetables at dinner, can cumulatively make a difference.
—Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 25 Feb. 2026
At the film’s center is Seyo Kim (Chen Emilie Yan), a meek state lawyer looking to make a difference, but who accepts, with begrudging sighs, her department’s 80% rate of dropping hate crime prosecutions as just another part of the job.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 23 Feb. 2026
The Narragansett Town Council now has an opportunity to right, in part, an egregious wrong and make a difference in the lives of the tribal citizens’ descendants.
—Antonia Noori Farzan, The Providence Journal, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for make a difference
Cite this Entry
“Make a difference.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/make%20a%20difference. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
