distinguish
verb B2
Plain meaning
recognise or show the difference between things
Exam-register meaning
In academic or exam writing, this is used to discuss recognise or show the difference between things in a more precise way.
In context
naturalThe team tried to distinguish between before the deadline.
examThe passage suggests that institutions may need to distinguish between in order to improve long-term outcomes.
Common collocations
distinguish betweendistinguish featureshard to distinguish
Watch out
Do not pair it with a random object. Learn the full pattern, e.g., “distinguish between”. Also avoid confusing it with “differentiate”.