distinguish
verbVerb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they distinguish | |
he / she / it distinguishes | |
past simple distinguished | |
past participle distinguished | |
-ing form distinguishing |
- [intransitive, transitive]
to recognize the difference between two people or things synonym differentiate區分;辨别;分清 - distinguish between A and B
At what age are children able to distinguish between right and wrong? 兒童到什麽年齡才能明辨是非? English law clearly distinguishes between murder and manslaughter. 英國法律明確區分謀殺和過失殺人。 - distinguish A from B
It was hard to distinguish one twin from the other. 很難分辨出一對孿生兒誰是誰。 - distinguish A and B
Sometimes reality and fantasy are hard to distinguish. 有時候現實和幻想很難區分。 We can distinguish five meanings of the word ‘mad’. 我們可以區分“mad”這個詞的五種含義。
Extra ExamplesIt is often difficult to distinguish clearly between fact and fiction in this book. 讀這本書經常很難分辨其中的真實和虛構内容。 She could not distinguish one child from another. 她無法把這兩個孩子區分開。 Small children have difficulty distinguishing fiction from reality. 小孩子難以將虛構與真實區别開。 Troops cannot always reliably distinguish between combatants and civilians. 軍隊並不總能準確地區分作戰人員和平民百姓。 Retailers should distinguish clearly between full-price and sale items. 零售商應該清楚地區分全價商品和特價商品。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- clearly
- sharply
- carefully
- …
- be able to
- can
- could
- …
- between
- from
- have difficulty distinguishing
- have difficulty in distinguishing
- have trouble distinguishing
- …
- distinguish between A and B
- [transitive]
(not used in the progressive tenses ) distinguish A (from B)不用於進行時 to be a characteristic that makes two people, animals or things different 成爲…的特征;使具有…的特色;使有别於 What was it that distinguished her from her classmates? 是什麽使得她有别於班上其他同學呢? The male bird is distinguished from the female by its red beak. 雄鳥喙紅色,有别於雌鳥。 The adult bird can be readily distinguished by its orange bill. 成鳥很容易根據橘黃色喙識别出來。 Does your cat have any distinguishing marks? 你的貓有什麽特殊斑紋嗎? The power of speech distinguishes human beings from animals. 語言能力使得人類有别於動物。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- clearly
- sharply
- carefully
- …
- be able to
- can
- could
- …
- between
- from
- have difficulty distinguishing
- have difficulty in distinguishing
- have trouble distinguishing
- …
- [transitive]
(not used in the progressive tenses ) distinguish something不用於進行時 to be able to see or hear something synonym differentiate, make out看清;認出;聽出 - [transitive] distinguish yourself (as something)
to do something so well that people notice and admire you Topics Successc1使出衆;使著名;使受人青睐
Word Originlate 16th cent.: formed irregularly from French distinguer or Latin distinguere, from dis- ‘apart’ + stinguere ‘put out’ (from a base meaning ‘prick’).