Both Uses of
vary
in
Change of Heart, by Picoult
- My favorite substance was tea—it made a stain you could vary in intensity from an almost white to a yellowish brown.†
*vary = differ; or change
- Later, I could vary the pigment with a dab of white toothpaste, diluted with water to make the right hue.†
Definition:
to be different, or to change
Vary is often used to describe small differences or changes--especially about things of the same type. It would be more common to say "The weight of full-grown elephants varies depending upon diet and other factors," than to say "The weight of elephants varies from that of mice."