2
general::
recognize
to know who someone is or what something is, especially because you have seen or heard them before:
• I hadn’t seen her for ten years, but I recognized her immediately. • Do you recognize this song?
identify
to recognize someone or something and say who or what they are:
• As they came closer, I was able to identify two of the group. • It’s delicious but I can’t quite identify the taste.
distinguish
to recognize and understand the difference between two or more things or people:
• By this age, kids can usually distinguish between right and wrong. • It’s often difficult to distinguish identical twins from each other.
make something/somebody out
to be able to see or hear something or someone – used when it is very difficult to do this:
• In the distance, I could just make out the outline of an island. • He whispered something but I couldn’t make out what it was.
discern
formal to notice or understand something by looking carefully or thinking about it carefully:
• I thought I discerned a faint gleam of hope in his eyes. • A number of differences can be discerned in the data for the three countries.
know
to recognize someone or something. Know is often used in everyday English instead of recognize:
• How do you know that it is real gold? • I know him from somewhere . • I can’t remember his name, but I know his face .
can tell
to be able to recognize someone or something:
• I could tell that it was him by his voice. • Can you tell that it’s not real leather? • It’s difficult to be able to tell them apart (= to recognize that they are different ) .
Longman-Thesaurus
3
general::
verb know sb/sth again ADV. immediately, instantly I immediately recognized the building. | easily This is the only species of flamingo in the region, easily recognized by its pink plumage. | barely, hardly Stella hardly recognized her brother. VERB + RECOGNIZE learn to You learn to recognize the calls of different birds. | be easy to PREP. as He recognized the man as one of the police officers. | by I recognized her by her red hair. | from I recognized them from a television show. understand sth ADV. fully They fully recognize the need to proceed carefully. | belatedly, finally The government has belatedly recognized the danger to health of passive smoking. VERB + RECOGNIZE must | be important to | begin to | be slow to The company had been slow to recognize the opportunities available to it. | fail to PREP. as This issue must be recognized as a priority for the next administration. PHRASES be generally/universally/widely recognized, be increasingly recognized The strength of this argument is being increasingly recognized. | failure to recognize sth accept sth officially ADV. clearly The law clearly recognizes that a company is separate from those who invest in it. | formally, officially | internationally, nationally The Medway estuary is recognized internationally as a conservation area. VERB + RECOGNIZE agree to | refuse to PREP. as All rivers should be officially recognized as public rights of way. PHRASES be legally recognized A bill of exchange is a legally recognized document. | a refusal to recognize sth
Oxford Collocations Dictionary