differ meaning
differ :
to be unlike or different from someone or something
verb
▪ Cats differ from dogs in many ways.
▪ Cats are different from dogs.
▪ Their opinions differ on this matter.
▪ Their opinions are different on this matter.
paraphrasing
▪ vary – to be different from something
▪ contrast – to show differences
▪ diverge – to move apart
▪ separate – to move apart or be different
Pronunciation
differ [ˈdɪfər]
The stress is on the first syllable 'dif' and sounds like 'dif-er'.
Common phrases and grammar about differ
differ - Common meaning
verb
to be unlike or different from someone or something
Part of Speech Changes for "differ"
▪ difference (noun) – a way in which people or things are not the same
▪ different (adjective) – not the same as another or each other
▪ differently (adverb) – in a different way
Common Expressions with "differ"
▪ differ from – to be unlike or different from something
▪ differ in – to be different in a specific way
▪ differ on – to have a different opinion on something
▪ differ about – to have a difference regarding something
Important examples of differ in TOEIC
Vocabulary examples from the TOEIC test
In TOEIC word questions, differ is used to compare differences between people, opinions, or things.
Example of a confusing word: defer (to postpone)
Grammar examples from the TOEIC test
In TOEIC grammar questions, differ is used as a verb and often follows prepositions like 'from', 'in', or 'on'.
differ
Idioms and fixed expressions in TOEIC
differ from
'be different from', used when comparing two items.
differ in
'be different in a specific way', used to specify the area of difference.
Differences between similar words and differ
differ
,
disagree
differences
differ is used to show differences between things or opinions, while disagree is used when people do not share the same opinion.
differ
,
vary
differences
differ is used to denote differences between items or opinions, while vary is used to express changes or differences in degree or nature.
Words with the same origin as differ
The origin of differ
differ comes from the Latin 'differre', which means 'to carry apart or to differ'.
Word structure
It has the prefix 'dif' (a variant of 'dis', meaning 'apart'), root 'fer' (to carry), and no suffix. So 'differ' means 'to carry apart'.
Words with the same origin
The root of differ is 'fer' (to carry). Words with the same root include 'transfer', 'infer', 'refer', and 'confer'.
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