See Also: distinguish(medicine)
distinguish(dictionary)
distinguish(dictionary)

distinguish (oh)



[Date: 1500-1600; Language: French; Origin: distinguer, from Latin distinguere 'to separate using a sharp pointed object']
[I and T] to recognize and understand the difference between two or more things or people
-synonym differentiate differentiate distinguish between
::His attorney argued that Cope could not distinguish between right and wrong.
distinguish sb/sth from
::a method of distinguishing cancer cells from normal tissue
[T not in progressive] to be the thing that makes someone or something different or special
distinguish sb/sth from
::The factor that distinguishes this company from the competition is customer service.
distinguishing feature/mark/characteristic
::The main distinguishing feature of this species is the leaf shape.
[T not in progressive] written to be able to see the shape of something or hear a particular sound
::The light was too dim for me to distinguish anything clearly.
distinguish yourself
to do something so well that people notice and remember you
::He distinguished himself on several occasions in the civil war.