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.
Alter, a copywriter, and her husband, Darian, a sports betting professional, married at the Boca Raton Resort & Club in January 2023 before about 220 guests.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 3, 2026
“We think it has to do with the metabolic toxicity associated with the lack of exercise,” says Dr. David Alter, a cardiologist who teaches at the University of Toronto.
From Barron's • Jun. 27, 2026
Another new festival coming to Wales is Blackbird - a rock event at Cardiff Castle on 27 June, with acts including Skindred, Alter Bridge and Cardinal Black.
From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026
In the lawsuit, Alter said that he was told he was fired after the university received a complaint.
From Salon • Sep. 23, 2025
“I know this isn’t a good time, Alter, but when you have a chance, read it. I borrowed it from a friend at the Arbeiter-Zeitung.”
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
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.
