vary

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vary

to be different; modify; deviate: Her actions seem to vary from the norm.

Not to be confused with:

very – to a high degree; extremely: a very important matter

var·y

(vâr′ē, văr′ē)

v. var·ied (-ēd), var·y·ing, var·ies (-ēz)

v.intr.

1. To undergo or show change: The temperature varied throughout the day.

2. To deviate from a standard or expectation: behavior that varies from the norm.

3. To have a range of different qualities or amounts: Shirt sizes vary from small to extra large.

v.tr.

1. To make or cause changes in; modify or alter: vary the speed of the drill.

2. To give variety to; make diverse: vary one's diet.

[Middle English varien, to undergo change, from Old French varier, from Latin variāre, from varius, various.]

var′y·ing·ly adv.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

vary

(ˈvɛərɪ)

vb, varies, varying or varied

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. (foll by: from) 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. (Music, other) (tr) music to modify (a theme) by the use of variation

[C14: from Latin variāre, from varius various]

ˈvarying adj

ˈvaryingly adv

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

var•y

(ˈvɛər i)

v. var•ied, var•y•ing. v.t.

1. to alter, as in form, appearance, character, or substance; to make different in some way: to vary the program each night.

2. to relieve from uniformity; diversify: to vary one's diet.

3. to alter (a melody or theme) by modification or embellishments.

v.i.

4. to show diversity; differ: Opinions vary.

5. to undergo change, as in appearance or form.

6. to change periodically or in succession: Demand varies with the season.

7. to diverge; deviate: to vary from the norm.

8. to be subject to change, as a mathematical function.

9. to exhibit biological variation.

[1300–50; Middle English < Latin variāre, derivative of varius various]

var′i•er, n.

var′y•ing•ly, adv.

vary

- From Latin varius, "speckled, variegated; changeable."

vary

Past participle: varied
Gerund: varying

Imperative
vary
vary

Present
I vary
you vary
he/she/it varies
we vary
you vary
they vary

Preterite
I varied
you varied
he/she/it varied
we varied
you varied
they varied

Present Continuous
I am varying
you are varying
he/she/it is varying
we are varying
you are varying
they are varying

Present Perfect
I have varied
you have varied
he/she/it has varied
we have varied
you have varied
they have varied

Past Continuous
I was varying
you were varying
he/she/it was varying
we were varying
you were varying
they were varying

Past Perfect
I had varied
you had varied
he/she/it had varied
we had varied
you had varied
they had varied

Future
I will vary
you will vary
he/she/it will vary
we will vary
you will vary
they will vary

Future Perfect
I will have varied
you will have varied
he/she/it will have varied
we will have varied
you will have varied
they will have varied

Future Continuous
I will be varying
you will be varying
he/she/it will be varying
we will be varying
you will be varying
they will be varying

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been varying
you have been varying
he/she/it has been varying
we have been varying
you have been varying
they have been varying

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been varying
you will have been varying
he/she/it will have been varying
we will have been varying
you will have been varying
they will have been varying

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been varying
you had been varying
he/she/it had been varying
we had been varying
you had been varying
they had been varying

Conditional
I would vary
you would vary
he/she/it would vary
we would vary
you would vary
they would vary

Past Conditional
I would have varied
you would have varied
he/she/it would have varied
we would have varied
you would have varied
they would have varied

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Verb	1.	vary - become different in some particular way, without permanently losing one's or its former characteristics or essence; "her mood changes in accordance with the weather"; "The supermarket's selection of vegetables varies according to the season" alter, change alternate, jump - go back and forth; swing back and forth between two states or conditions crackle - to become, or to cause to become, covered with a network of small cracks; "The blazing sun crackled the desert sand" modulate - vary the frequency, amplitude, phase, or other characteristic of (electromagnetic waves) avianise, avianize - to modify microorganisms by repeated culture in the developing chick embryo move - go or proceed from one point to another; "the debate moved from family values to the economy" adapt, accommodate - make fit for, or change to suit a new purpose; "Adapt our native cuisine to the available food resources of the new country" widen, let out - make (clothes) larger; "Let out that dress--I gained a lot of weight" take in - make (clothes) smaller; "Please take in this skirt--I've lost weight" branch out, broaden, diversify - vary in order to spread risk or to expand; "The company diversified" diversify, radiate - spread into new habitats and produce variety or variegate; "The plants on this island diversified" specialize, narrow down, narrow, specialise - become more focus on an area of activity or field of study; "She specializes in Near Eastern history" honeycomb - make full of cavities, like a honeycomb break - vary or interrupt a uniformity or continuity; "The flat plain was broken by tall mesas"
	2.	vary - be at variance with; be out of line with depart, deviate, diverge aberrate - diverge or deviate from the straight path; produce aberration; "The surfaces of the concave lens may be proportioned so as to aberrate exactly equal to the convex lens" aberrate - diverge from the expected; "The President aberrated from being a perfect gentleman" belie, contradict, negate - be in contradiction with differ - be different; "These two tests differ in only one respect"
	3.	vary - be subject to change in accordance with a variable; "Prices vary"; "His moods vary depending on the weather" co-vary - vary in the same time period (of two random variables) drift - vary or move from a fixed point or course; "stock prices are drifting higher" differ - be different; "These two tests differ in only one respect"
	4.	vary - make something more diverse and varied; "Vary the menu" motley, variegate diversify - make (more) diverse; "diversify a course of study" checker, chequer - variegate with different colors, shades, or patterns

vary

verb

1. differ, be different, be dissimilar, disagree, diverge, be unlike As the rugs are all handmade, each one varies slightly.

2. change, shift, swing, transform, alter, fluctuate, oscillate, see-saw women whose moods vary according to their menstrual cycle

3. alternate, mix, diversify, reorder, intermix, bring variety to, permutate, variegate Try to vary your daily diet to include all the major food groups.

4. modify, change, alter, adjust The colour can be varied by adding filters.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

vary

verb

1. To make or become different:

alter, change, modify, mutate, turn.

2. To change or fluctuate within limits:

extend, go, range, run.

3. To be unlike or dissimilar:

differ, disagree, diverge.

Idiom: be at variance.

4. To be of different opinion:

differ, disaccord, disagree, discord, dissent.

Idiom: join issue.

Translations

Spanish / Español

Select a language:

variar

vary

[ˈvɛərɪ]

A. VT

1. (= make variable) [+ routine, diet] → variar

2. (= change) [+ temperature, speed] → cambiar, modificar

B. VI

1. (= differ) [amounts, sizes, conditions] → variar
prices vary from area to area → los precios varían con la zona
to vary according to sth → variar según or dependiendo de algo
they vary enormously in quality → la calidad varía enormemente
they vary in price → los hay de diversos precios
it varies → depende, según

2. (= be at odds) designs may vary from the illustration on the box → los diseños pueden diferir de la ilustración del paquete
authors vary about the date → los autores discrepan con respecto a la fecha
opinions vary on this point → las opiniones varían en este punto

3. (= change, fluctuate) [weight, temperature, number] → oscilar
my weight varies between 70 and 73 kilos → mi peso oscila entre los 70 y los 73 kilos

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

vary

(ˈveəri) verb

to make, be or become different. These apples vary in size from small to medium.variar

ˈvariable adjective

1. that may be varied. The machine works at a variable speed.variable

2. (of eg winds, weather etc) liable or likely to change. British weather is very variable.variable, inestable

noun

something that varies, eg in quantity, value, effect etc. Have you taken all the variables into account in your calculations?variable

ˈvariably adverb

variablemente

ˌvariaˈbility – plural variaˈbilities – noun

variabilidad

ˌvariˈation noun

1. the extent to which a thing changes. In the desert there are great variations in temperature.variación

2. one of a series of musical elaborations made on a basic theme or melody. Brahms' variations on Haydn's `St Anthony's Chorale'.variación

ˈvaried adjective

He has had a very varied career.variado

vary

→ variar

vary

v. variar, cambiar; cambiarse; desviarse.

vary

vi (pret & pp -ried) variar, oscilar

References in classic literature ?

My one object in following a new course is to enlarge the range of my studies in the art of writing fiction, and to vary the form in which I make my appeal to the reader, as attractively as I can.

View in context

THE Columbia, or Oregon, for the distance of thirty or forty miles from its entrance into the sea, is, properly speaking, a mere estuary, indented by deep bays so as to vary from three to seven miles in width; and is rendered extremely intricate and dangerous by shoals reaching nearly from shore to shore, on which, at times, the winds and currents produce foaming and tumultuous breakers.

View in context

As many more individuals of each species are born than can possibly survive; and as, consequently, there is a frequently recurring struggle for existence, it follows that any being, if it vary however slightly in any manner profitable to itself, under the complex and sometimes varying conditions of life, will have a better chance of surviving, and thus be naturally selected.

View in context

And in order to be an appearance of one or more objects, it is only necessary that the occurrence in question should be connected with them by a continuous chain, and should vary when they are varied sufficiently.

View in context

Celsus could never have spoken it as a physician, had he not been a wise man withal, when he giveth it for one of the great precepts of health and lasting, that a man do vary, and interchange contraries, but with an inclination to the more benign extreme: use fasting and full eating, but rather full eating; watching and sleep, but rather sleep; sitting and exercise, but rather exercise; and the like.

View in context

Screening emergency department patients for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) can help identify undiagnosed infections, but because populations vary, screening programs have to be tailored to particular settings.

Emergency-room visits can be good opportunities for sexually transmitted disease screening

The courses vary in length from a few hours to several days and in intensity from casual to intensive.

A license to coach: how to get certified. (Soccer)

The effects of moisture in the air used to both blow and purge coldbox cores can vary based on the chemistry in use.

In search of a cure: optimizing coldbox core systems

Moreover, both X and W are assumed to have associations with Z that may vary from city to city.

Confounding in air pollution epidemiology: when does two-stage regression identify the problem? (Commentary)

The long term consequences of postconcussional disorder will vary greatly, depending upon the site and extent of injury.

School-Based Cognitive Interventions for Children with Postconcussional Disorder

Die-gap and die-lip adjustments address the longitudinal or overall thickness of the parison but cannot vary the radial thickness around the circumference of the parison - also known as ovalization.

Trim waste in blow molding large or complex industrial shapes

Seated height should vary from 16 inches to 19 inches from the floor to the top of the seat cushion.

Designing and selecting long-duration seating for the aging

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