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View synonyms for differ

differ

[ dif-er ]

verb (used without object)

  1. to be unlike, dissimilar, or distinct in nature or qualities (often followed by from ):

    The two writers differ greatly in their perceptions of the world. Each writer's style differs from that of another.

  2. to disagree in opinion, belief, etc.; be at variance; disagree (often followed by with or from ):

    His business partner always differs with him.

  3. Obsolete. to dispute; quarrel.


differ

/ ˈdɪfə /

verb

  1. often foll by from to be dissimilar in quality, nature, or degree (to); vary (from)
  2. often foll byfrom or with to be at variance (with); disagree (with)
  3. dialect.
    to quarrel or dispute
  4. agree to differ
    to end an argument amicably while maintaining differences of opinion
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Other Words From

  • un·differ·ing adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of differ1

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English differren “to distinguish,” from Middle French differer “to put off, distinguish,” Latin differre “to bear apart, scatter, be different,” from dif- dif- + ferre “to bear, bring, carry”
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Word History and Origins

Origin of differ1

C14: from Latin differre, literally: to bear off in different directions, hence scatter, put off, be different, from dis- apart + ferre to bear
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Idioms and Phrases

see beg to differ . Also see under difference ; different .
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Example Sentences

Keep in mind, though, that rating parameters may differ from brand to brand.

Aside from whether Wanda herself is trustworthy, you know you can’t leave room for misunderstanding or differing interpretation with her.

Still, technologies differ in what they can do and what their possible impacts will be.

Those guidelines are thoughtful, she says, but the technologies differ in what they’re capable of, and in their possible ethical repurcussions.

I’m open to having a conversation as long as it’s respectful and the values where we differ aren’t extreme.

The details differ but the intent is the same as in a high-profile case of police brutality.

Unlike Maryland, national costs for institutionalization as opposed to HCBS do not differ by an order of magnitude.

How does the American experience differ when the lines get blurry?

DOJ and CDC numbers differ, and conviction rates are harder to evaluate.

Does the process of writing a novel differ wildly from writing a screenplay?

You may, you probably will, differ very widely upon much that I have here put before you.

Microscopically, they are yellow or reddish-brown crystals, which differ greatly in size and shape.

Bringing the second group into relation with the third group, we find they differ only by four.

But the peace finance and the war finance will differ in one most important respect.

Activities such as these differ with a whole sky from the wage-work of the modern industrial worker.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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