vary

American  

[vair-ee] / ˈvɛər i /

verb (used with object)

• varies,
  present (3rd person singular)
• varied,
  past participle,  past
• varying
  present participle

1. to change or alter, as in form, appearance, character, or substance.

   to vary one's methods.

   Synonyms:

   mutate, modify

2. to cause to be different from something else.

   The orchestra varied last night's program with one new selection.

3. to avoid or relieve from uniformity or monotony; diversify.

   to vary one's diet.

4. Music. to alter (a melody or theme) by modification or embellishments without changing its identity.

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verb (used without object)

• varies,
  present (3rd person singular)
• varied,
  past participle,  past
• varying
  present participle

1. to show diversity; be different.

   The age at which children are ready to read varies.

2. to undergo change in appearance, form, substance, character, etc..

   The landscape begins to vary as one drives south.

3. to change periodically or in succession; differ or alternate.

   Demand for certain products varies with the season.

4. to diverge; depart; deviate (usually followed byfrom ).

   to vary from the norm.

5. Mathematics. to be subject to change.

6. Biology. to exhibit variation.

vary British  

/ ˈvɛərɪ /

verb

1. to undergo or cause to undergo change, alteration, or modification in appearance, character, form, attribute, etc

2. to be different or cause to be different; be subject to change

3. (tr) to give variety to

4. to differ, as from a convention, standard, etc

5. (intr) to change in accordance with another variable

   her mood varies with the weather

   pressure varies directly with temperature and inversely with volume

6. (tr) music to modify (a theme) by the use of variation

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• varier
  noun
• overvary
  verb
• intervary
  verb (used without object)
• self-varying
  adjective
• unvarying
  adjective
• varying
  adjective
• unvaryingly
  adverb
• varyingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• varying
  present
• varied
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• vary
  simple
• varies
  simple
• have varied
  perfect
• has varied
  perfect
• am varying
  progressive
• are varying
  progressive
• is varying
  progressive
• have been varying
  perfect progressive
• has been varying
  perfect progressive

Past

• varied
  simple
• had varied
  perfect
• was varying
  progressive
• were varying
  progressive
• had been varying
  perfect progressive

Future

• will vary
  simple
• will have varied
  perfect
• will be varying
  progressive
• will have been varying
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of vary

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English varien, from Latin variāre, equivalent to vari(us) ( see various) + -āre infinitive suffix

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Explanation

If you're tired of the same old breakfast of bran flakes and orange juice, vary your routine—put some banana slices on those bran flakes. You can vary the routine by changing the details but keeping the basics the same. Use the verb vary when you're talking about changing up your usual routine. If your schedule changes at work, you might have to vary your sleep habits. A good dye job will vary the tints a little to look more natural. The ambiance at Olive Garden varies from restaurant to restaurant, but the unlimited breadsticks are always delicious. You'll probably recognize the root vari, which shows up in other words with similar meanings, like various, variable, and even variegated.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

vary varies varied varying

The 10-year survival rates for lymphoma vary based on whether it is Hodgkin lymphoma or non-Hodgkin lymphoma, as well as the stage, your age, and the subtype.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

That distinction matters because physical abilities vary considerably from person to person.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026

The number and quality of eggs collected can vary, some may not survive thawing, and those that do may fail to fertilise.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

For many ETFs, distribution yield includes return of capital and income from trading options contracts, which can vary enormously from month to month—and can also eat away at your principal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

The term is misleading, since these mounds vary greatly in shape and purpose as well as in date, ranging from about 2000 B.C. to the time of the Europeans’ arrival.

From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson

Saturday's itinerary varies widely depending on the location, from a music festival in Los Angeles and a march to the Supreme Court in Washington, to family-friendly workshops in Chicago and election observer training in Atlanta.

From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026

The process for reporting a stolen rental vehicle varies from state to state, but it is often tedious.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026

He's a company founder and, though his income varies, she knows that he earns more than she does.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

Access to weapons varies based on capability, a pocket knife can be purchased by anyone anywhere, firearms are restricted from certain groups, and missiles are only available to militaries and are meticulously accounted for.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

If he had views about what constitutes evidence that were different from ours, then that simply shows that ‘common sense’ varies from one culture to another.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

This patchwork distribution was consistent with scans taken while the patient was alive, which had already indicated that amyloid removal varied considerably across different parts of his brain.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026

Factors as varied as what it took to navigate the pandemic and the company’s success itself, which raised the financial stakes, led him to doubt one trait that helped him succeed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

"This shows that the cells which make myelin are far more varied in their chemistry than their genes alone would suggest," says Luca Fusar Bassini.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026

After rising to prominence with the series, Mitte fought for more varied roles and complex depictions of characters with disabilities, both visible and invisible.

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

So there we were, Father, Mother and I, walking in the pouring rain, each of us with a schoolbag and a shopping bag filled to the brim with the most varied assortment of items.

From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank

Beyond that, Christensen’s advises training in more than one kind of shoe, varying amount of cushioning and stack height.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026

These were all ideas England tried to execute, to varying levels of success, in the World Cup.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

ARMs are offered with varying initial fixed-rate periods and periods for rate resets.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026

Cricket, tennis and softball were all disrupted to varying degrees for a second day in a row.

From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026

This estimate represents some middle ground among the varying scientific opinions.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

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Related Words

• alter
• differ
• diverge
• diversify
• divide
• fluctuate
• modify
• range

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