differ

Differ is a verb with several closely related senses in English. It commonly means to be unlike or dissimilar: for example, two species may differ in size or coloration. It also means to disagree, as when members of a committee differ on a policy or approach. In addition, differ can express a difference in amount or degree, often with the preposition by: “The results differ by 0.02.” The verb is intransitive and typically appears with prepositions such as from, on, or with, depending on the sense: “differs from,” “differ on,” or “differ with” (the latter more common when indicating disagreement with a person).

Etymology and development of meaning

Differ derives from Latin differre, meaning to carry apart or to differ, via Old French differer. The sense related to being unlike emerged from the idea of separating into different directions, while the sense of disagreement developed in parallel usage in English.

Grammar and usage notes

The base form differs, with the forms differed and differing used as the past and present participles: differ, differed, differing. The standard collocation for dissimilarity is differ from: “The two theories differ from one another.” For disagreement, differ on or differ with are common, though usage varies by region and context. In formal writing, prefer “differ from” for similarity or dissimilarity; “differ with” is often reserved for direct disagreement with a person about a point.

Relation to related terms

Differ is related to words such as difference, differentiate, and divergent, which describe or annotate variance and distinction. In computing, a related term is diff, a noun/command referring to the difference between files, though this is a specialized usage rather than a direct meaning of differ.