How to Use variable in a Sentence

variable

1 of 2 adjective
  • The winds were light and variable.
  • The loan has a variable interest rate.
  • The variable rate on the I bond is based on the change in inflation in the past 6 months.
    Medora Lee, USA TODAY, 20 Oct. 2022
  • Through the use of two-stage and variable speed equipment.
    Southern Living, 5 Aug. 2015
  • This is highly variable by the strength and size of your cup, of course.
    Dr. Keith Roach, oregonlive, 5 July 2022
  • Winds are light and variable, with gusts to around 10 or 15 mph.
    Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2021
  • Winds will be variable and turning to the south around 5 to 10 mph.
    Washington Post, 6 Aug. 2021
  • Hourly pay for the kitchen staff is variable, but starts at $18 an hour.
    Kate Kassin, Bon Appétit, 27 June 2023
  • The answer to that, at least for now, is as variable as the weather.
    San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Oct. 2019
  • The avalanche danger is variable and can range from Low to High.
    Nick Heil, Outside Online, 28 Aug. 2019
  • The extent to which you’ll be scared or charmed may be variable, though.
    Mike Hale, New York Times, 3 July 2019
  • Tonight, mostly clear, with a low around 30 and light and variable wind.
    Emily Deletter, The Enquirer, 9 Mar. 2022
  • In fact, HLAs are the most variable part of the human genome — which is by design.
    Kaitlin Sullivan, NBC News, 19 July 2023
  • Light winds are from the north but become more variable later in the day.
    Matt Rogers, Washington Post, 2 Aug. 2022
  • And despite the summer air temps this week, the evenings are still variable.
    Philly.com, 28 Apr. 2017
  • In truth, the textures of our minds are subtle and variable.
    Joshua Rothman, The New Yorker, 9 Jan. 2023
  • But it can be jarred loose from that regime and become high and variable.
    Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 11 Mar. 2021
  • Winds will be variable and turning to the northwest around five to 10 mph.
    Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2022
  • The beer is of variable quality, but the welcome is warm.
    Will Hawkes, Washington Post, 11 Aug. 2022
  • As the Fed cuts rates, the variable rate for your credit card would adjust down.
    Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 31 July 2019
  • Winds will blow out of the north early but become light and variable late.
    Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 2 Aug. 2022
  • Winds will be light and variable throughout the weekend.
    Mike Rose, cleveland, 13 May 2021
  • The plants can be a bit variable, having fern-like leaves of light to dark green color.
    Tom MacCubbin, orlandosentinel.com, 29 June 2019
  • Battery life turned out to be more variable than with the Yoga 9i.
    Mike Feibus, USA TODAY, 25 Nov. 2020
  • But the increase is a small change in a complex and highly variable process.
    Steven Koonin, WSJ, 19 Sep. 2022
  • While the film’s tech elements are variable, the score by Amine Bouhafa is top-notch.
    Alissa Simon, Variety, 8 Dec. 2023
  • The shelves also have variable depths so that books of any size can line up neatly.
    Maureen O’Connor, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2023
  • Light and variable wind becoming north at 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
    Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 6 Mar. 2024
  • The cost of old balances that built up on many variable rate credit cards climbs too.
    Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 27 Oct. 2017
  • For the variable categories, well, there’s no right or wrong amount.
    Jessica Roy Assistant Editor, Los Angeles Times, 1 Jan. 2022
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variable

2 of 2 noun
  • The guests are the variables, and the hosts are the controls.
    Mehera Bonner, Harper's BAZAAR, 4 June 2018
  • Chances are the sun has set on this variable the rest of the way.
    Dallas News, 26 Dec. 2022
  • At this point, there are many variables at play in the race.
    David Sharp, The Seattle Times, 28 Jan. 2019
  • Of course, just how many seats the rich will fill is a variable.
    Chris Jones, chicagotribune.com, 5 Apr. 2018
  • And then, of course, the big variable will be Starship.
    Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 25 Aug. 2022
  • The offense was the variable in the equation, the defense the constant.
    Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Nov. 2022
  • The last variable in the cat-box equation is, well, us.
    Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 12 May 2021
  • The variable, of course, is whether or not the ice is covered with snow.
    Casey Brogan, Anchorage Daily News, 12 Feb. 2021
  • The third monkey was used as a control variable in the study.
    Amanda Morris, azcentral, 28 Mar. 2020
  • That’s the variable with all players deemed as prospects.
    Craig Davis, Sun-Sentinel.com, 17 Mar. 2018
  • None of the rest of us know all the variables that went into the decision.
    Profootballdoc, sandiegouniontribune.com, 9 Oct. 2017
  • And a lot of variables, things are changing, new news comes in.
    Ashlyn Messier, Fox News, 15 Oct. 2023
  • Then there’s the whole last-year-of-his-contract variable.
    Childs Walker, Baltimore Sun, 5 Sep. 2022
  • The main variable between the two—gut bacteria—seems to be the key.
    Hannah Seo, Popular Science, 20 Aug. 2020
  • The physicists had done their work half in the dark, with a key variable concealed.
    Virginia Heffernan, Wired, 18 May 2021
  • And again, this could all change based on a number of variables.
    Country Living Staff, Country Living, 15 Nov. 2019
  • The age of the parents or donors is the most important variable.
    Adrianna Rodriguez, USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2024
  • Mirza said rain was the biggest variable in the rescue.
    Billy Kobin, Indianapolis Star, 12 July 2018
  • But the key variable — the wholesale price of diesel — is not looking good.
    Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 1 June 2022
  • There’s a bunch of variables that could have gone into it.
    Eric Branch, SFChronicle.com, 20 Sep. 2019
  • The variable is how long the heart can function without help.
    Ken Alltucker, azcentral, 14 Mar. 2018
  • Key variable The snaps left available in place of or next to Atkins.
    Paul Dehner Jr., Cincinnati.com, 20 Apr. 2018
  • The biggest variable is who will turn out, and in what numbers.
    William McGurn, WSJ, 21 Dec. 2020
  • Here, Wexler explains what a few of those variables can look like.
    Anthea Levi, Health.com, 24 Oct. 2017
  • Which variable will be of most importance over the next month?
    Scott Mendelson, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2022
  • Wick length is a kind of goldilocks variable that can swiftly cut the life of your candle short.
    Zoe Ruffner, Vogue, 14 Oct. 2020
  • Then, the team tweaks a variable and runs the simulation again.
    Tim Newcomb, Popular Mechanics, 4 Aug. 2022
  • But these days a new variable is straining the Tahoe ski trip equation.
    Gregory Thomas, San Francisco Chronicle, 10 Dec. 2022
  • But one variable that doesn't influence the size her bump is her body type.
    Jessica Migala, Health.com, 26 June 2017
  • The missing star is a strange type of star called a luminous blue variable.
    Jennifer Leman, Popular Mechanics, 6 July 2020

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'variable.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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