- 1[intransitive] to be different from someone or something They hold differing views. A differs from B French differs from English in this respect. A and B differ (from each other) French and English differ in this respect. differ between A and B Ideas on childcare may differ considerably between the parents. Language Bankcontrasthighlighting differences
- This survey highlights a number of differences in the way that teenage boys and girls in the U.S. spend their free time.
- One of the main differences between the girls and the boys who took part in the research was the way in which they use the Internet.
- Unlike the girls, who use the Internet mainly to keep in touch with friends, the boys questioned in this survey tend to use the Internet for playing computer games.
- The girls differ from the boys in that they tend to spend more time keeping in touch with friends on the telephone or on social networking websites.
- Compared with the boys, the girls spend much more time chatting to friends on the telephone.
- On average, the girls spend four hours a week chatting to friends on the phone. In contrast, very few of the boys spend more than five minutes a day talking to their friends in this way.
- The boys prefer competitive sports and computer games, whereas/while the girls seem to enjoy more cooperative activities, such as shopping with friends.
- When the girls go shopping, they mainly buy clothes and cosmetics. The boys, on the other hand, tend to purchase computer games or gadgets.
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- 2[intransitive] to disagree with someone differ (with somebody) (about/on/over something) I have to differ with you on that. differ (as to something) Medical opinion differs as to how to treat the disease. Idioms
differ
verbNAmE//ˈdɪfər//
Verb Forms present simple I / you / we / they differ he / she / it differs
past simple differed
-ing form differing
if two people agree to differ/disagree, they accept that they have different opinions, but they decide not to discuss it any longer We must just agree to differ on this.
used to say politely that you do not agree with something that has just been said “At least she is good at her job.” “Oh, I beg to differ.”
Check pronunciation: differ