tell apart

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

tell apart (third-person singular simple present tells apart, present participle telling apart, simple past and past participle told apart)

1. (idiomatic) To perceive things as different, or to perceive their difference itself; to differentiate, distinguish, discriminate.

   They are identical twins, and if they dress the same, everybody has trouble telling them apart.

   Can you tell Tom (apart) from his twin brother?

• See also Thesaurus:tell apart