to change or alter, as in form, appearance, character, or substance: to vary one's methods.
to cause to be different from something else: The orchestra varied last night's program with one new selection.
to avoid or relieve from uniformity or monotony; diversify: to vary one's diet.
Music. to alter (a melody or theme) by modification or embellishments without changing its identity.
verb (used without object),var·ied,var·y·ing.
to show diversity; be different: The age at which children are ready to read varies.
to undergo change in appearance, form, substance, character, etc.: The landscape begins to vary as one drives south.
to change periodically or in succession; differ or alternate: Demand for certain products varies with the season.
to diverge; depart; deviate (usually followed by from): to vary from the norm.
Mathematics. to be subject to change.
Biology. to exhibit variation.
Origin of vary
1300–50; Middle English varien<Latin variāre, equivalent to vari(us) (see various) + -āre infinitive suffix
SYNONYMS FOR vary
1 modify, mutate.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR vary ON THESAURUS.COM
OTHER WORDS FROM vary
var·i·er,nounvar·y·ing·ly,adverbin·ter·var·y,verb (used without object),in·ter·var·ied,in·ter·var·y·ing.o·ver·var·y,verb,o·ver·var·ied,o·ver·var·y·ing.
They vary at different times both in respect to names of places and of men.
A New System; or, an Analysis of Antient Mythology. Volume I.|Jacob Bryant
See Trollope, ii, 179, as to the endless Florentine devices to check special power and to vary the balance of the constitution.
The Evolution of States|J. M. Robertson
So I was forced to bury it under a stone, where it is doubtless alive, to this vary day.
The Three Golden Apples|Nathaniel Hawthorne
These conditions, of course, vary greatly throughout a region stretching from Maryland to Texas.
The Journal of Negro History, Volume 2, 1917|Various
It is permissible to vary the chase by running away from the immediate vicinity of the circle.
Games for the Playground, Home, School and Gymnasium|Jessie H. Bancroft
British Dictionary definitions for vary
vary
/ (ˈvɛərɪ) /
verbvaries, varyingorvaried
to undergo or cause to undergo change, alteration, or modification in appearance, character, form, attribute, etc
to be different or cause to be different; be subject to change
(tr)to give variety to
(intr foll by from) to differ, as from a convention, standard, etc
(intr)to change in accordance with another variableher mood varies with the weather; pressure varies directly with temperature and inversely with volume
(tr)musicto modify (a theme) by the use of variation