make a difference

idiom
UK: /meɪk ə ˈdɪfrəns/
US: /meɪk ə ˈdɪfərəns/

  1. To have a positive impact or effect on someone or something.

    1. Helping others can really make a difference in their lives. [ ] [ ]
    2. Volunteering your time can make a difference to the community and its future. [ ] [ ]

  2. To cause a change or improvement in a situation or condition.

    1. Recycling can make a difference to the environment. [ ] [ ]
    2. Investing in education could really make a difference in the nation's future prosperity. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

affect improve influence matter count impact benefit
make a difference noun

  1. A quality that causes one thing to be not exactly like another thing.

    1. There is no make a difference between this and that. [ ] [ ]
    2. It won't make a difference if we arrive a bit late to the meeting. [ ] [ ]
make a difference intransitive-verb

  1. Be important or significant.

    1. Does it make a difference if the car is red? [ ] [ ]
    2. It may make a difference to know all background information before the game. [ ] [ ]
make a difference transitive-verb

  1. Change something so it will make a difference.

    1. Can you make a difference this task? [ ] [ ]
    2. He will try to make a difference for the best in this project. [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "make a difference" in English means: To have a positive impact or effect on someone or something., To cause a change or improvement in a situation or condition..

The phonetic transcription of "make a difference" is /meɪk ə ˈdɪfrəns/ in British English and /meɪk ə ˈdɪfərəns/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "make a difference": affect, improve, influence, matter, count, impact, benefit.

Example usage of "make a difference": "Helping others can really make a difference in their lives.". More examples on the page.