differentiate

9 definitions • 16 examples

to show or find the difference between things that are compared:

differentiate between We do not differentiate between our employees on the basis of their race, religion, or national origin.

differentiate something from something Most consumers have no trouble differentiating our brand's cereal from our leading competitor's.

Service providers are all keen to differentiate themselves from their competitors.

to make someone or something different:

differentiate something from something The slate roof differentiates this house from others in the area.

We look for features that differentiate the products.

(of cells or tissue) to develop specialized structures or functions:

The cell divides and differentiates to form new, specialized tissue.

differentiate into Embryonic stem cells are able to differentiate into any cell type.

differentiate to Such cell lines can be induced to differentiate to cells that produce insulin.

to calculate the derivative of a function:

Differentiate the following functions with respect to x.

to use different teaching materials and methods within the same lesson to suit the abilities and needs of different students:

This approach allows me to differentiate my instruction for all my students.

to show or find the difference between one thing and another, or between things that are compared:

[ T ] What differentiates wheat from other crops is that it is almost exclusively used as a food product.

[ I always + adv/prep ] The axons are like phone wires that carry the signals that allow the brain to differentiate between various smells.

to show how a product or company is different from other similar ones and what its advantages are, especially in order to attract a particular group of consumers:

differentiate sth from sth The company wanted a website that would differentiate them from their competitors.

In order to differentiate our service, it was decided that the brochure would depart from the traditional format.

to show or find a difference between people or things:

A purchase tax can differentiate between luxuries and necessities.

to be the quality or feature that makes one thing different from another:

differentiate sth from sth Customers may wonder what differentiates one type of beer from another.