alter

¹

[awl-ter]

verb (used with object)

1. 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.

2. to castrate or spay.

verb (used without object)

1. to change; become different or modified.

Alter

²

[awl-ter]

noun

1. David, 1807–81, U.S. physicist.

alter.

³

abbreviation

1. alteration.

alter

/ ˈɔːltə /

verb

1. to make or become different in some respect; change

2. informal,  (tr) a euphemistic word for castrate spay

Other Word Forms

• alterer noun
• half-altered adjective
• prealter verb (used with object)
• realter verb
• unaltering adjective
• well-altered adjective
• alterably adverb
• alterability noun
• alterable adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of alter¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of alter¹

C14: from Old French alterer, from Medieval Latin alterāre to change, from Latin alter other

Synonym Study

See adjust,

Example Sentences

Fictional representations of time travel underscore this: time travelers alter events and disrupt the timeline, as if past and future events were locations one could visit with the right technology.

Read more on Science Daily

The finding points to how rising sea temperatures and altered ocean currents are affecting the range of marine species in the region.

Read more on Science Daily

It’s impossible to know if Smith was really this self-possessed and ruminative as a child or if nostalgia has altered her perspective.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Miss Wandelt said she used an app and said: "It was nothing to do with altering the picture."

Read more on BBC

In evoking that territory and its immigrant strivers, Mr. Zipperstein writes with the passion of a reader whose life was altered by Roth.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• adjust 
• amend 
• change 
• develop 
• modify 
• reshape 
• revamp 
• revise 
• shift 
• transform 
• vary 

When To Use

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.