definitions

alter

[ awl-ter ]
/ ˈɔl tər /
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR alter ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

Nearby words

altazimuth mount, altazimuth mounting, altdorf, altdorfer, alte pinakothek, alter, alter ego, alter idem, alter., alterable, alterant

Origin of alter

1350–1400; Middle English < Old French alterer < Late Latin alterāre to change, worsen, derivative of Latin alter other

Related forms

Can be confused

altar alter

Synonym study

1. See adjust, change.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for alterer

alter

/ (ˈɔːltə) /

verb

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

Derived Forms

alterable, adjectivealterably, adverbalterability, noun

Word Origin for alter

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