tell apart
phrasal verb
told apart; telling apart; tells apart
: to see what the differences are between (people or things) : to identify (people or things that look similar to each other)
It's hard to tell the twins apart.
Examples of tell apart in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Some of the dragons in this dance are hard to tell apart, but Meleys had presence.
—
Dee Lockett, Vulture, 8 July 2024
In terms of design, the iPhone 16s aren't that hard to tell apart thanks to their different color palettes.
—PCMAG, 12 Sep. 2024
This explains why iterations close together would be hard to tell apart, but why those separated by more time feel quite different.
—Michael Irving, New Atlas, 22 July 2024
Often, researchers can tell apart the different species of Ptychodus by varying features in the teeth, but the study authors were unable to identify which species of Ptychodus the six fossils studied belonged to due to the teeth being too worn down, Villalobos Segura said.
—Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 15 July 2024
This pretty bedroom ballad — the first big single from her debut — proved that soulful R&B and Top 40 pop can be hard to tell apart when the lights are off.
—Henry Goldblatt, EW.com, 8 July 2024
Both are predominantly black and white from bill to tail and can be difficult to tell apart, particularly in flight.
—M.d. Johnson, Field & Stream, 8 Feb. 2024
The gold buckle on top of the Bison Spirit mule is impossible to tell apart from the real thing.
—Kristine Solomon, Travel + Leisure, 27 Aug. 2023
One of these, which has never before been used on Mars, is there to tell apart left- and right-handed amino acids, enabling it to make a case for living or nonliving origins in a way that prior missions could not.
—Carmen Drahl, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 May 2023
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Dee Lockett, Vulture, 8 July 2024
In terms of design, the iPhone 16s aren't that hard to tell apart thanks to their different color palettes.
—PCMAG, 12 Sep. 2024
This explains why iterations close together would be hard to tell apart, but why those separated by more time feel quite different.
—Michael Irving, New Atlas, 22 July 2024
Often, researchers can tell apart the different species of Ptychodus by varying features in the teeth, but the study authors were unable to identify which species of Ptychodus the six fossils studied belonged to due to the teeth being too worn down, Villalobos Segura said.
—Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 15 July 2024
This pretty bedroom ballad — the first big single from her debut — proved that soulful R&B and Top 40 pop can be hard to tell apart when the lights are off.
—Henry Goldblatt, EW.com, 8 July 2024
Both are predominantly black and white from bill to tail and can be difficult to tell apart, particularly in flight.
—M.d. Johnson, Field & Stream, 8 Feb. 2024
The gold buckle on top of the Bison Spirit mule is impossible to tell apart from the real thing.
—Kristine Solomon, Travel + Leisure, 27 Aug. 2023
One of these, which has never before been used on Mars, is there to tell apart left- and right-handed amino acids, enabling it to make a case for living or nonliving origins in a way that prior missions could not.
—Carmen Drahl, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 May 2023
Dictionary Entries Near tell apart
Cite this Entry
“Tell apart.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tell%20apart. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share