make a difference

idiom

1

: to cause a change : to be important in some way

Cost can make a difference in deciding on a college.

Your help made a big difference.

It may not matter to you, but it makes a world of difference to me.

2

: to do something that is important : to do something that helps people or makes the world a better place

She says that she got into politics because she wanted to make a difference.

Examples of make a difference in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Then make a difference in your community, within your friends, within your family. —Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 20 Feb. 2025

The prospect of a looming shortage of tanks could make a difference on the battlefield or at the negotiating table. —Dan Perry, Newsweek, 13 Feb. 2025

Platforms have the right as private businesses (publicly traded or not doesn't make a difference) to set their own rules, which users have to abide by. —Brenda Looper, arkansasonline.com, 5 Feb. 2025

The rewarding part of this is emergency medicine gives us a real opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives every day. —Daniel I. Dorfman, Chicago Tribune, 4 Feb. 2025