make a difference
verb1
Idiomatic To carry out an action, the result of which is a significant change, or an altered circumstance.
- Near-synonym: move the needle
- I was hoping that, by volunteering at this refuge, I could make a difference, however small.
2
Idiomatic To be of importance; to matter.
- I don't think it makes a difference whether you come tonight or not.
- Increasingly, it does not make a difference—economically, at least—whether the husband or wife is the primary wage earner, or whether either or both of them work.2013, Debora L. Spar, Wonder Women, page 114:
- Derived terms
- difference maker, difference-making