alter
1 Americanverb (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)
noun
abbreviation
verb
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.
Related Words
See adjust,
Other Word Forms
- alterability noun
- alterable adjective
- alterably adverb
- alterer noun
- half-altered adjective
- prealter verb (used with object)
- realter verb
- unaltering adjective
- well-altered adjective
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”
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.
The mayor’s role in altering the after-action report and managing its release has become an issue in her reelection campaign.
From Los Angeles Times
She insinuates that if Evans doesn’t alter her teeth, she will be sent home.
From Salon
As they move, they alter how quickly a qubit loses energy and with it valuable quantum information.
From Science Daily
The U.S. economy is in transition, facing structural shifts that will alter how policymakers and investors think about employment, inflation, and economic growth in the years to come.
From Barron's
How would colonizing Mars alter us psychologically and physiologically?
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.
