Looked for variety in conversation (6)
I believe the answer is:
sought
'looked for' is the definition.
('seek' can be a synonym of 'look for')
'variety in conversation' is the wordplay.
'variety' becomes 'sort' (synonyms).
'in conversation' shows a homophone (sound like).
'sort' sounds like 'SOUGHT'.
(Other definitions for sought that I've seen before include "Looked for" , "Tried to find" , "Searched for - investigated - desired" , "Attempted to find" , "Wanted" .)