1 [C] a difference (between A and B) the way that people or things are not the same or the way that sb/sth has changed 差别;差异;不同之处:
What's the difference between this computer and that cheaper one?这台计算机与那台较便宜的有什么不同?From a distance it's hard to tell the difference between the twins.从远处看很难区分这对双胞胎。
2 [C,U] difference (in sth) (between A and B) the amount by which people or things are not the same or by which sb/sth has changed (数量上的)差,差额,差距:
There's an age difference of three years between the two children.这两名儿童相差三岁。There's very little difference in price since last year.去年以来价格的变化不大。We gave a 30% deposit and must pay the difference when the work is finished (= the rest of the money).我们付了30%作为订金,余额则须在完工时缴付。
3 [C] a disagreement that is not very serious 不同的意见;分歧;轻微的争执:
All couples have their differencesfrom time to time.所有夫妻都免不了偶尔有不同意见。There was a difference of opinion over how much we owed.我们究竟欠多少,对这个问题存在不同看法。
make a, some, etc difference (to sb/sth) to have an effect (on sb/sth) 对…有影响;对…起作用:
Marriage made a big difference to her life.婚姻在很大程度上改变了她的生活。make no difference (to sb/sth);not make any difference to not be important (to sb/sth); to have no effect 对…并不重要;对…无影响:
It makes no difference to us if the baby is a girl or a boy.对我们来说生男生女都一样。split the difference→SPLIT¹
difference/ˋdIfərəns; ˈdIf$rəns/n 1 [C] the way in which one person or thing is different from another [ similarity ] 差别﹐差异: +between The main difference between them is their age. 他们之间最主要的差别是年龄。+in Researchers found important differences in the way boys and girls learn. 研究人员发现了男孩和女孩在学习方法上的重大差异。2 [singular 单数] an amount by which one thing is different from another〔数量上的〕差别﹐差异: difference in age/size etc There's not much difference in price. 价格上没有多大差别。There's a 5-hour time difference between London and New York. 伦敦和纽约有五小时的时差。3 make a/the difference to have an important effect or influence on someone or something 有作用﹐有影响: +to The programme made a big difference to my life. 这个节目对我的人生有很大影响。Having a good teacher made all the difference to Alex. 有个好老师对阿历克斯来说非常重要。4 it makes no difference to sb used to say that it does not matter to someone which thing happens, is chosen etc 对某人来说没有关系: Morning or afternoon. It makes no difference to me. 上午和下午都行﹐对我来说都没关系。5 our/your/their differences disagreements 我们的/你们的/他们的意见分歧: We’re friends now but we’ve had our differences in the past. 我们现在是朋友﹐但过去曾有过分歧。6 difference of opinion a slight disagreement 意见有点分歧
differencedifferencedifferencesnounthe way that one thing is not the same as another thing: What's the difference between this computer and that cheaper one? What's the difference in price between these two bikes? Sarah looks exactly like her sister – I can't tell the difference between them.make a differenceto change or have an effect on somebody or something: Marriage made a big difference to her life.make no difference, not make any differenceto not change anything; to not be important: It makes no difference to us if the baby is a girl or a boy.