Definition of "variance" []

• The act of varying. (noun)
• The state or quality of being variant or variable; a variation. (noun)
• A difference between what is expected and what actually occurs. (noun)
• The state or fact of differing or of being in conflict. See Synonyms at discord. (noun)
• Law A discrepancy between two statements or documents in a proceeding. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Perhaps the matter in variance is a secret, not fit to be divulged to any, much less to be brought upon the stage before the country; and therefore end it privately, that it may not be discovered."
• "Looking at the bottom graph, it appears the variance is a bit less than 5%."
• "If an exception or variance is needed, then the rules need changing."