WordWeb Online

1. See or hear differences; identify a particular part or parts of a whole; detect with difficulty
   - spot, recognize, recognise [Brit], discern, pick out, make out, tell apart
    
2. Mark as different
   "We distinguish several kinds of maple";
   - separate, differentiate, secern [rare], secernate, severalize, severalise [Brit], tell, tell apart
    
3. Be a distinctive feature, attribute, or trait; sometimes in a very positive sense
   "His modesty distinguishes him from his peers";
   - mark, differentiate
    
4. Make conspicuous or noteworthy
   - signalize, signalise [Brit]
    
5. Classify or apply the appropriate name to, e.g. in botany or biology
   - identify, discover, key, key out, describe, name

Derived forms: distinguishing, distinguishes, distinguished

See also: tell

Type of: characterise [Brit], characterize, finger [informal], identify, mark, place, qualify

Encyclopedia: Distinguish