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

These distinctions suggest that the relationship between dietary protein and male hormones may vary depending on where the protein comes from, rather than simply how much protein a person consumes.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 13, 2026

The Parliament typically has 120 seats, but this can vary depending on the vote count.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2026

Among portfolio managers and financial advisers, the rules can vary.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 7, 2026

"We use national pricing across most of our shops however, this can vary in certain locations where costs are higher than average, such as travel hubs," they told the BBC in a statement.

From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026

I turn to the next napkin page, where the letters vary in size.

From "Please Ignore Vera Dietz" by A.S. King

The most familiar example is the flu shot: Effectiveness varies by season, usually averaging just around 40%.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 12, 2026

The amount and quality of evidence varies among the six, but all have shown potential in the lab to influence processes related to repair and recovery at the cellular or molecular level.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 11, 2026

Researchers found that the planet has warmed at a rate of approximately 0.35°C per decade over the past 10 years, although the exact figure varies depending on the temperature dataset used.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 30, 2026

“There is growing evidence that AI is generating tangible returns across Asia’s technology sector, although the level of impact varies by industry and position within the value chain,” it says in a research note.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026

The exact number varies from two to twenty, depending on the news source.

From "Spooked!" by Gail Jarrow

Impacts in the US and Canada are varied, with a greater chance of a warm and dry winter in northern areas and more risk of flooding rain further south.

From BBC ● Nov. 13, 2026

For another simulated asteroid, the change in how quickly it spun varied by a factor of 17 depending on the direction of the X-rays.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 8, 2026

One of the things he likes about Bass is that her career has followed a long and varied public service trajectory.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026

In primary elections in Illinois, voters may choose any party's ballot at the polls, and Prevost varied in his selection, it said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026

For decades, these schools, and other institutions, studied subjects as varied as precognition, telepathy, psychokinesis, energy fields, reincarnation, and mediumship.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Customers are reporting varying levels of access - many have not been able to send or receive emails, view certain files or details on their calendar apps.

From BBC ● Nov. 13, 2026

The former Nvidia chief advocated for an ecosystem that includes so-called open models, which users can download and customize to varying degrees.

From Barron's ● Nov. 13, 2026

Simon Maier, the lead author of the paper, explains: "By varying the time interval between the two laser pulses, we can directly observe how the electrons respond."

From Science Daily ● Nov. 7, 2026

Their extensive store networks would become hubs of healthcare delivery systems that, to varying degrees, brought together insurers, pharmacy benefit management and local and regional physician groups.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026

The Sorting continued; boys and girls with varying degrees of fright on their faces moving one by one to the four-legged stool, the line dwindling slowly as Professor McGonagall passed the L’s.

From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling

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Related Words

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

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