var ‧ y S3 W2 AC /ˈveəri $ ˈveri/ BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle varied , present participle varying , third person singular varies )
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ variable , ↑ variance , ↑ variant , ↑ variety , ↑ variability , ↑ variation ; adjective : ↑ variable ≠ ↑ invariable , ↑ varied , ↑ various ; adverb : ↑ variably ≠ ↑ invariably , ↑ variously ; verb : ↑ vary ]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: varier , from Latin variare , from varius ; ⇨ ↑ various ]
1 . [intransitive] if several things of the same type vary, they are all different from each other SYN differ :
Test scores vary from school to school.
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.
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ adverbs
▪ considerably/greatly/widely
The amount of food available varies considerably from season to season.
▪ enormously
Farm sizes vary enormously within Europe.
▪ significantly
The software seems similar, but performance can vary significantly.
▪ slightly
The cooking time may vary slightly depending on your oven.
▪ wildly (=a lot)
Prices varied wildly from store to store.
■ nouns
▪ varying degrees
She was involved in a number of car accidents of varying degrees of seriousness.
▪ varying levels
Children with varying levels of ability can still be taught together.
▪ varying sizes
a set of jars of varying sizes
▪ varying amounts
Tap water may contain varying amounts of rust, grit and silt.