vary

/ˈveəri/

verb

  1. to be different in amount, level, quality, or another way in different situations

    B1

    intransitive; vary in, vary from

    • "Prices vary from shop to shop."B1
    • "The twins vary in height."A2
    • "Opinions on the issue vary considerably among experts."C1

  2. to change something so that it is different from another version or from the usual form

    B2

    transitive

    • "You can vary the recipe by adding different vegetables."B1
    • "The teacher varied the activities to keep the students interested."B2

Common mistakes

  • The price varies between 10 and 20 dollars.→The price varies from 10 to 20 dollars.

    Use “vary from ... to ...” for a range; “vary between ... and ...” is also possible when referring to two alternatives.

Collocations

vary considerablyvary greatlyvary from person to personvary from place to placevary in sizevary according tovary between

Word family

varietyvariousvariationvariableinvariable