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alter

alter

verb (used with object)

to make different in some particular, as size, style, course, or the like; modify.
Alter

Alter

noun

David, 1807–81, U.S. physicist.
alter.

alter.

abbreviation

alteration.

Synonyms

alter

¹ American

[awl-ter] / ˈɔl tər /

verb (used with object)

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.

verb (used without object)

to change; become different or modified.

Alter ² American

[awl-ter] / ˈɔl tər /

noun

David, 1807–81, U.S. physicist.

alter. ³ American

abbreviation

alteration.

alter British

/ ˈɔːltə /

verb

to make or become different in some respect; change
informal (tr) a euphemistic word for castrate spay

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

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.

Synonym Usage

See adjust,

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of alter

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Old French alterer, from Late Latin alterāre “to change, worsen,” derivative of Latin alter “other”

Explanation

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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Vocabulary lists containing alter

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

alter Alter alter. alters altered altering

AI is surpassing human abilities in pursuits from mathematics to computer programming, while threatening to alter or even eradicate many jobs.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

Now, he’s going to be applying for British citizenship, a change that could alter his comedic perspective.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026

That deal alone “isn’t enough to alter the competitive landscape, at least not in the foreseeable future,” Yoon noted.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026

“By that point I was out, out, out. I mean, there was no way I was going to alter my offstage behavior to please anyone.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026

But he didn’t alter his story, so I scratched him and let him go and away we came.

From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams

The incident overshadowed what was supposed to be a triumphant launch for Lisa's debut solo album, Alter Ego.

From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026

“It is doable but with limits,” said Eric Alter, the dean of the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy in Abu Dhabi, another of the emirates.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

In an essay for the Journal, author Charlotte Alter argues that Michigan’s Senate primary is more than just another fight between moderates and progressives.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026

“To the extent we think oxygen is the golden nugget to live on earth, our use of oxygen is really important,” Alter told Barron’s.

From Barron's ● Jun. 27, 2026

Conversation Alter Soccer Come on, man, just wait with me.

From "Booked" by Kwame Alexander

"No-one ever thought it would alter. Their way of life was constant and familiar, as it had been as long as anyone could remember."

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2021

Both 4to 1679 and 1724 read'false souly', which I have ventured to alter. p.

From The Works of Aphra Behn, Volume II by Montague Summers

Social Security recipients can get an additional benefit for dependent children, which alters the calculation about when to draw benefits.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

In her version, Bernhard alters the lyrics to pay tribute to Sylvester, whose untimely death left an immense legacy.

From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2026

Infant formula is designed to provide the correct balance of nutrients for babies when mothers cannot or choose not to breastfeed, and adding extra water alters that balance.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

He used his remission to promote CAR T-cell therapy, which genetically alters one’s cells to fight cancer, after he said chemotherapy stopped working.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

“None of this alters the validity of the work done with HeLa cells,” she wrote, “but it may be worth noting—for the record.”

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot

Understand the world with the help of the Muppets: In 2012, Dahlia Lithwick published a piece of cultural analysis that permanently altered how readers viewed their marriages, their workplaces, and the U.S.

From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026

“You’re hitting the ground with the same magnitude of force,” says Dr. Daniel Lieberman, a Harvard evolutionary biologist whose research focuses on how modern footwear has altered human biomechanics.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026

The U.S. release ended up with an altered track listing that highlighted the group’s folkier leanings; Joni Mitchell wore the grooves out on her copy and slipped “Norwegian Wood” into her coffeehouse sets in Detroit.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

By dating zircon crystals taken from granite altered by the impact, the team determined that the meteorite struck about 370 million years ago during the Late Devonian.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 4, 2026

He gave Charles and me his old suits by the armload; he was taller than Charles, and thinner than both of us, and we would have them altered by a tailor in town.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

Fintech companies are catching on to how Americans are altering their financial habits, and they’ve created new products to try to meet the moment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Fintech founders have caught on to how Americans are altering their financial habits, and they’ve created new products to try to meet the moment.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026

"You're altering the microbiome of your gut, and perhaps creating antibiotic resistant bacteria in your body that will fight off the drug therapy the next time you really need it," he said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026

But studies show that infrastructure development and tourism are squeezing its habitat, while increasing noise is altering how it communicates with potential mates and rivals.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

By altering the relative proportions of earth and fire, say, you would be able, they thought, to change copper into gold.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023