make a difference
English
Pronunciation
Audio (AU) (file)
Verb
make a difference (third-person singular simple present makes a difference, present participle making a difference, simple past and past participle made a difference)
- (idiomatic, intransitive) To carry out an action, the result of which is a significant change, or an altered circumstance.
- I was hoping that, by volunteering at this refuge, I could make a difference, however small.
- (idiomatic, intransitive) To be of importance; to matter.
- I don't think it makes a difference whether you come tonight or not.
- 2013, Debora L. Spar, Wonder Women, page 114:
- Increasingly, it does not make a difference—economically, at least—whether the husband or wife is the primary wage earner, or whether either or both of them work.
Derived terms
- difference maker
- difference-making
Translations
carry out an action the result of which is significant
|
be of importance
|
See also
- make all the difference