Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1300-1400
Language: Old French
Origin: varier, from Latin variare, from varius; VARIOUS

vary

 verb
     
var‧y S2 W2 past tense and past participle varied, present participle varying, third person singular varies
1 [intransitive] if several things of the same type vary, they are all different from each other [= differ]COLLOCATIONS COLLOCATIONS
vary from place to place/person to person etc vary from something to something vary considerably/greatly/widely/enormously vary slightly vary according to/depending on something varying degrees/levels/sizes/amounts
The heights of the plants vary from 8 cm to 20 cm.
vary in
flowers that vary in color and size
Medical treatment varies greatly from state to state.
Cooking times may vary slightly, depending on your oven.
Charges vary according to size.
She has tried different diets with varying degrees of success.
tests of varying levels of difficulty
2 [intransitive] if something varies, it changes depending on the situation:
Quentin's mood seems to vary according to the weather.
'What do you wear when you go out?' 'Well, it varies.'
3 [transitive] to change something to make it different:
My doctor said I should vary my diet more.
WORD FOCUS: change WORD FOCUS: change
to change something: alter, adapt, adjust, amend, modify, revise, vary
to change a system or organization: restructure, reorganize, reform
to change something completely: transform, revolutionize
to change facts or information, or change what someone has said: twist, distort, misrepresent
easily changed: flexible, adaptable
impossible to change: fixed, final, irrevocable

➔ See also change
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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