{
    "term": "variation",
    "partOfSpeech": "noun",
    "academic": true,
    "ox5000": true,
    "cefr": "b2",
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "a change, especially in the amount or level of something",
            "sensetop": "variation (in/of something)",
            "cefr": "b2",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "The dial records very slight variations in pressure."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Currency exchange rates are always subject to variation."
                },
                {
                    "text": "**regional/seasonal variation** *(= depending on the region or time of year)*"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Considerable variation was found in the terms offered by different banks."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She is studying language variation across the social range."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The businesses showed a dramatic variation in how they treated their staff."
                },
                {
                    "text": "There is little variation by sex or social class in these attitudes."
                },
                {
                    "text": "slight variations in pressure"
                },
                {
                    "text": "subtle variations of colour and design"
                },
                {
                    "text": "subtle variations of light and texture"
                },
                {
                    "text": "temperature variation with altitude"
                },
                {
                    "text": "variation according to the time of year"
                },
                {
                    "text": "variation among the students in terms of ability"
                },
                {
                    "text": "variations between different accents"
                },
                {
                    "text": "There is considerable variation in tastes across the country."
                },
                {
                    "text": "We need to take seasonal variation into account."
                },
                {
                    "text": "local/​geographical/​environmental/​climatic variation"
                },
                {
                    "text": "regional variations in voting patterns"
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["considerable", "dramatic", "enormous"],
                "… of variation": ["amount", "degree", "level"],
                "verb + variation": ["reflect", "show", "find"],
                "variation + verb": ["occur"],
                "preposition": [
                    "variation according to",
                    "variation across",
                    "variation among"
                ],
                "phrases": ["a range of variation", "a variation on a theme"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "a thing that is different from other things in the same general group",
            "sensetop": "variation (on something)",
            "cefr": "b2",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "This soup is a spicy variation on a traditional favourite."
                },
                {
                    "text": "There may be striking variations within a species."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The story is a variation on ‘Treasure Island’."
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["considerable", "dramatic", "enormous"],
                "… of variation": ["amount", "degree", "level"],
                "verb + variation": ["reflect", "show", "find"],
                "variation + verb": ["occur"],
                "preposition": [
                    "variation according to",
                    "variation across",
                    "variation among"
                ],
                "phrases": ["a range of variation", "a variation on a theme"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 3,
            "definition": "any of a set of short pieces of music based on a simple tune repeated in a different and more complicated form",
            "sensetop": "variation (on something)",
            "labels": "(music)(figurative)",
            "cefr": "c2",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "a set of variations on a theme by Mozart"
                },
                {
                    "text": "His numerous complaints are all **variations on a theme** *(= all about the same thing)*."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Music"]
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˌveəriˈeɪʃn/",
                "audio": "va/variation/variation__gb_3.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˌveriˈeɪʃn/",
                "audio": "va/variation/variation__us_1.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "late Middle English (denoting variance or conflict): from Old French, or from Latin variatio(n-), from the verb variare, from varius ‘diverse’."
}