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

Even mortality risk can be valued in dollars, though the estimates vary widely.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026

The personal allowance threshold is set for the whole UK, so people in Scotland will also be affected, although other tax bands there vary, external.

From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026

Other estimates vary, but they’re all based one way or another on vapor.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026

In particular, the findings demonstrate the importance of integral field spectroscopy, which allows astronomers to examine how light and its spectral signatures vary across different parts of a galaxy.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2026

The details vary, the dialogue is not identical, but in substance the two accounts—thus far, at least—corroborate one another.

From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote

Their range of involvement on individual bills varies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

The University of Bonn team is now expanding its research to investigate how sleep, particularly REM-like sleep, varies across different spider species.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 27, 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

Millions of housebuyers get help with a down payment, although it varies by generation.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026

The speed of the Earth’s spin varies from a little over 1,000 miles an hour at the equator to zero at the poles.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

“Madrone is very similar and is a host species for varied larvae species,” Miller said, “which strawberry tree will never be.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

Their electrical charges became more varied, and a small proportion formed peroxide-like bonds, in which oxygen atoms bond to one another.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 29, 2026

A spokeswoman for Walmart said the hard drive prices varied because of an error that has been corrected, not because it used personal information to calibrate the price of a product.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026

The team created computer-generated speakers and varied their facial movements while keeping their spoken words and vocal tone consistent.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026

These songs can be varied and repeated, and help children sing accurately.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

Their work remixes the thrill of early internet exploration into colorful abstraction, cracking open an esoteric feeling to analyze its contents and origin — to varying effect.

From Salon ● Oct. 29, 2026

The landfill’s leachate is composed of concentrations of benzene above hazardous waste thresholds and, on occasion, methyl ethyl ketone above hazardous waste thresholds, as well as other harmful constituents at varying concentrations, the lawsuit said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

Germany, Poland and the Nordic nations—have joined the French initiative, with varying degrees of involvement, since Macron first announced the plan in March.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026

“I’ve been involved in probably close to 1,000 projects in academic medical centers over the years at varying degrees of depth and detail,” Silva said.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 23, 2026

“I learned about serif and sans-serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great,” he wrote.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove

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Related Words

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

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