1. the fact or quality of being different or inconsistent
2. an official dispensation from a rule or regulation
Usage: legal
3. a measure of how spread out data points are from the average
Usage: statistics

Examples

• There was a significant variance between the two reports.
• The city council granted a variance to allow the building to exceed height limits.
• The variance in test scores was surprisingly large.
• His story showed considerable variance from the official account.
• The homeowner applied for a variance to build closer to the property line.
• The statistical variance indicated wide differences in the data.
• There’s always some variance in manufacturing processes.