dis·tin·guish [ di stíng gwish ](past and past participledis·tin·guished, present participledis·tin·guish·ing, 3rd person present singulardis·tin·guish·es)
verb
Definition:
1. transitive and intransitive verb recognize differences between people or things: to be aware of a difference between two or more people, groups, or things, or show that they are different from each other to distinguish between fact and fiction
2. transitive verb be difference between people or things: to be the feature or characteristic that shows that one person, group, or thing is different from another What distinguishes dogs from wolves?
3. transitive verb make somebody or something out: to be able to recognize or identify somebody or something I could barely distinguish people's faces in the fog.
4. dis·tin·guish your·selfvr perform well and achieve recognition: to make yourself well known because of excellence, especially in a profession, art, or organization He distinguished himself on the field of battle.
[Late 16th century. < French distinguer or Latin distinguere "to separate" < stinguere "quench"]
