to make different in some particular, as size, style, course, or the like; modify.
to alter a coat; to alter a will; to alter course.
to castrate or spay.
What is another way to say alter?
To alter something is to make it different in some particular way, such as in size, style, or course. How does alter compare to change? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
See adjust,
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Old French alterer, from Late Latin alterāre “to change, worsen,” derivative of Latin alter “other”
After eating too many gingerbread cookies, she no longer fit into her uniform, so she had a seamstress alter it. It looked pretty much the same. The verb alter can also mean to neuter or spay. Think of a cat that has just been spayed: the cat you pick up from the vet is the same cat that you dropped off there, only perhaps a little groggy and unable to reproduce. While the cat has been altered, it's not a different cat.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That won’t alter the costs dramatically, but increasing the income ever-so-slightly every year will have a positive impact and can create a more psychologically satisfying experience for your fiancée as a landlord.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026
It also said it would try to ensure that "people from working class and regional backgrounds do not feel they need to alter their behaviour, accents or language to fit in with the civil service".
From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026
Soaring ticket prices and extra security for US President Donald Trump do not alter the electric energy of fabled Madison Square Garden as it hosts games three and four of the NBA Finals.
From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026
They say the changes will fundamentally alter the outlook for residential mortgage growth.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
“But people themselves alter so much, that there is something new to be observed in them for ever.”
From "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
