vary
Americanverb (used with object)
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to change or alter, as in form, appearance, character, or substance.
to vary one's methods.
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to cause to be different from something else.
The orchestra varied last night's program with one new selection.
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to avoid or relieve from uniformity or monotony; diversify.
to vary one's diet.
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Music. to alter (a melody or theme) by modification or embellishments without changing its identity.
verb (used without object)
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to show diversity; be different.
The age at which children are ready to read varies.
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to undergo change in appearance, form, substance, character, etc..
The landscape begins to vary as one drives south.
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to change periodically or in succession; differ or alternate.
Demand for certain products varies with the season.
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to diverge; depart; deviate (usually followed byfrom ).
to vary from the norm.
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Mathematics. to be subject to change.
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Biology. to exhibit variation.
verb
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to undergo or cause to undergo change, alteration, or modification in appearance, character, form, attribute, etc
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to be different or cause to be different; be subject to change
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(tr) to give variety to
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to differ, as from a convention, standard, etc
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(intr) to change in accordance with another variable
her mood varies with the weather
pressure varies directly with temperature and inversely with volume
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(tr) music to modify (a theme) by the use of variation
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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variernoun
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overvaryverb
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intervaryverb (used without object)
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self-varyingadjective
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unvaryingadjective
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varyingadjective
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unvaryinglyadverb
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varyinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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varysimple
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variessimple
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have variedperfect
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has variedperfect
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am varyingprogressive
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are varyingprogressive
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is varyingprogressive
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have been varyingperfect progressive
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has been varyingperfect progressive
Past
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variedsimple
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had variedperfect
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was varyingprogressive
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were varyingprogressive
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had been varyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of vary
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English varien, from Latin variāre, equivalent to vari(us) ( see various) + -āre infinitive suffix
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.
Vocabulary lists containing vary
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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The SAT: Language of the Test, List 5
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The Language of Standardized Tests, List 3
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"Current clauses may refer to 'severe' or 'extreme' weather, but the definitions for these can vary and currently no providers go as far as to specify criteria such as maximum temperatures."
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Military analysts who have studied the Kheibar Shekan said it can vary its trajectory more than some other ballistic missiles in an attempt to make it harder to detect and destroy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
Allowable decibel levels in the neighborhood vary depending on the time of day, as well as the type of noise.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
The firm said there are too many factors that vary considerably from individual to individual — such as current health, family history and where they live — to provide an accurate estimate for long-term care.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
But it should be obvious that not all beliefs are on a par with one another, and that the causes of their credibility vary greatly.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
The vast majority are mild, although the damage they cause varies according to their location and the depth below the Earth's surface at which they strike.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
This varies from 25C across the north and west of the UK to 28C in parts of eastern England.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
And testosterone deficiency is hard to test for, because it varies so much during the diurnal cycle.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Leukemia is a cancer of the blood that begins in the bone marrow, which varies based on the type of blood cell affected and the stage of the disease.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
From what Bailey can see, the space between layers varies from room enough to walk straight through to barely enough to crawl.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
It varied somewhat by county, but in almost every case, the person “apprenticing” the child was in fact the former slaveholder.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
The impact of immigration enforcement varied among the assembled day laborers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
Now I see that she simply wanted us to work a little harder to see how truly beautiful and varied life can be.
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026
They play all over the world, in places with varied tax codes.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
Hunter-gatherers spent their time in more stimulating and varied ways, and were less in danger of starvation and disease.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
While 49 states and the District of Columbia have laws or judicial rulings that give journalists varying degrees of legal protection, there is still none at the federal level.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
"The vast majority were uncovered and in varying states of decomposition," he added.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Harvey Elliott joined previously with varying degrees of success in their temporary moves.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
Different types of sugary drinks showed varying levels of risk.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 23, 2026
The difficulty comes in trying to separate my eyes from my eyebrows, which alter my face much the way that varying punctuation marks can change the meaning of a sentence.
From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
