Meaning

(transitive) To change with time or a similar parameter..

Definitions by Sense

1. (transitive) To change with time or a similar parameter.
2. (transitive) To institute a change in, from a current state; to modify.
3. (intransitive) Not to remain constant: to change with time or a similar parameter.
4. (of the members of a group, intransitive) To display differences.
5. (intransitive) To be or act different from the usual.
6. (transitive) To make of different kinds; to make different from one another; to diversify; to variegate.
7. (transitive, music) To embellish; to change fancifully; to present under new aspects, as of form, key, measure, etc. See variation.
8. (intransitive, obsolete) To disagree; to be at variance or in dissension.

Example Sentences

He varies his magic tricks so as to minimize the possibility that any given audience member will see the same trick twice.

We are to vary the customs according to the time and country where the scene of action lies.

You should vary your diet. Eating just bread will do you harm in the end.

a. 1687, Edmund Waller, to Phyllis Gods, that never change their state, / Vary oft their love and hate.

His mood varies by the hour.

The sine function varies between −1 and 1.

[F]ear and anger, vvith alternate Grace, / Pant in her Breaſt, and vary in her Face!

The sprouting tendency of potatoes varies between cultivars, years and places of growing.

Word Forms

• varies
• varying
• varied

Synonyms for vary

Antonyms for vary

Related Words

When Should You Use Vary?

Use vary when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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