vary

Meanings

1. 1verbintransitive

   To be different from one case or place to another.

   Grammar: No object; often followed by 'from', 'with' or 'between': prices vary from shop to shop.

   Patterns

   • vary from something to something
   • vary with something
   • vary between something and something

   Prices vary from store to store.

   Opinions vary widely on this question.

   The results varied depending on the weather.

2. 2verbtransitive or intransitive

   To change over time or to make something different from before.

   Grammar: With an object it means to change on purpose: vary your diet.

   Patterns

   • vary something
   • vary your routine

   Try to vary your diet and eat more vegetables.

   The coach varied the exercises each week.

   The temperature varies throughout the day.

Word forms

Common combinations

vary widely

Salaries vary widely across the industry.

vary from person to person

Symptoms vary from person to person.

vary greatly

The quality of the hotels varies greatly.

vary with

The fee varies with the size of the room.

vary your diet

Doctors advise people to vary their diet.

vary slightly

The recipe varies slightly by region.

Synonyms and how they differ

differ

Differ focuses on how two or more things are not alike, while vary emphasizes a range of difference.

fluctuate

Fluctuate means to go up and down irregularly, mainly for numbers or prices.

change

Change simply means becoming different, whereas vary can mean differing across cases.

diversify

Diversify means to add more variety on purpose, often in business.

Opposites

Word family

variation noun

a difference or change in form

variable adjective

likely to change

variety noun

the quality of being different or a type of something

varied adjective

of different kinds

variance noun

the degree of difference

Commonly confused: vary or very?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “vary”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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