alter

[ awl-ter ]
/ ˈɔl tər /
SEE 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.

QUIZZES

DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?
Question 1 of 10
decorum
the act of or need for making up one's mind.
dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.
a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of alter

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

synonym study for alter

1. See adjust, change.

OTHER WORDS FROM alter

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH alter

altar alter

Words nearby alter

altazimuth mount, altazimuth mounting, altdorf, altdorfer, alte pinakothek, alter, alter ego, alter idem, alter., alterable, alterant
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to alterer

adjective, adverb, conditioner, transformer, alterant

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 of alter

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