1
as in to differentiate
to understand or point out the difference in
even at such a young age, he could distinguish the calls of various birds
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to characterize
to be an important feature of
a collection of recipes distinguished by their ease and simplicity
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to identify
to find out or establish the identity of
learned at an early age to distinguish the sound of a piano in an orchestra
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to notice
to make note of (something) through the use of one's eyes
could barely distinguish the garden gate through the mist
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in to classify
to arrange or assign according to type
on the exam we were asked to distinguish the specimens by acidity
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of distinguish
The key is distinguishing between deal-breakers and workable differences.
—
Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 2 Oct. 2025
Yet Poplar Kid’s Republic still had to distinguish itself from the children’s departments found in other large bookstores.
—Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2025
All three women distinguished themselves.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 1 Oct. 2025
The company’s marketing and its unique voice, Bodner said, still lead its efforts to distinguish itself from its competitors and are central to its comeback.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for distinguish
Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 2 Oct. 2025
Yet Poplar Kid’s Republic still had to distinguish itself from the children’s departments found in other large bookstores.
—Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2025
All three women distinguished themselves.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 1 Oct. 2025
The company’s marketing and its unique voice, Bodner said, still lead its efforts to distinguish itself from its competitors and are central to its comeback.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for distinguish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for distinguish
Verb
-
Acute cystitis can be differentiated with a urine culture (used to isolate and identify bacteria).—
MD Published,
PEOPLE,
2 Oct. 2025
-
For example, in some cases, Koestline says synthetic exosomes are enhanced with surface proteins to differentiate them from traditional liposomes and improve their targeting.—
Victoria Moorhouse,
Allure,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The administration has also called out the arrest of Sortor, a 27-year-old conservative influencer, amid protests outside the ICE facility in Portland during what police characterized as a fight.—
Rebekah Riess,
CNN Money,
4 Oct. 2025
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This species, found in waterholes surrounded by bamboo forests, is characterized by its rough skin and reddish-orange markings.—
Real-Time News team,
Miami Herald,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Salmon said his counselor suggested his attraction to men was his father’s fault because his job kept him away from home a lot, causing Salmon to identify more with his mother.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
5 Oct. 2025
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But that changed, and the case took a turn after two denizens of Nashville's street scene were identified as suspects.—
Keith Sharon,
Nashville Tennessean,
5 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Crew aboard the ship noticed that the engine room—a long and narrow chamber—was the weakest, and was where multiple beams buckled under the pressure of the ice.—
Frederick Dreier,
Outside,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Neither that notice nor the agenda for the meeting, posted the day before, gave details about which property the board would be voting on or its intended use.—
Claire Heddles,
Miami Herald,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The cause was classified as norovirus, a contagious virus that causes nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, and is commonly known as the stomach flu.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
3 Oct. 2025
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Both the Cook Political Report and Sabato's Crystal Ball classify the race as a likely victory for Spanberger.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The Clooneys are now very discerning about choosing work projects to ensure Alexander and Ella take priority.—
Kayla Grant,
PEOPLE,
6 Oct. 2025
-
Like the two previous installments, on Jeffrey Dahmer and the Menendez brothers, Ed Gein retells in lurid—and largely fantastical—detail the legend of a notorious murderer, with the aim of discerning what our collective obsession with and inevitable misunderstanding of each case says about society.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The factors that influence GDP growth are labor and productivity, and the Gulf already has an edge in finding workers — both expats and a young local population.—
Mohammed Sergie,
semafor.com,
9 Oct. 2025
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The team found that actual methane and nitrous oxide emissions from these facilities were far higher than the Environmental Protection Agency’s estimates.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Unfortunately, fans won't be able to see LeBron or Luka on the court with the team for Friday's game, though.—
Matthew Couden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Oct. 2025
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Many who took the survey saw Goldberg-Polin as too moral to get involved in the rough and tumble world of Israel’s fractious political scene.—
Romina Ruiz-Goiriena,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Distinguish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distinguish. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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