alternate

[ verb awl-ter-neyt, al-; adjective, noun awl-ter-nit, al- ]

/ verb ˈɔl tərˌneɪt, ˈæl-; adjective, noun ˈɔl tər nɪt, ˈæl- /

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See synonyms for: alternate / alternated / alternating / alternately on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), al·ter·nat·ed, al·ter·nat·ing.

to interchange repeatedly and regularly with one another in time or place; rotate (usually followed by with): Day alternates with night.

to change back and forth between conditions, states, actions, etc.: He alternates between hope and despair.

to take turns: My sister and I alternated in doing the dishes.

Electricity. to reverse direction or sign periodically.

Linguistics. to occur as a variant in alternation with another form.

verb (used with object), al·ter·nat·ed, al·ter·nat·ing.

to perform or do in succession or one after another: to alternate comedy acts; to alternate jogging and walking.

to interchange successively or regularly: to alternate hot and cold compresses.

adjective

being in a constant state of succession or rotation; interchanged repeatedly one for another: Winter and summer are alternate seasons.

reciprocal; mutual: alternate acts of kindness.

every second one of a series: Read only the alternate lines.

constituting an alternative: The alternate route is more scenic.

alternative (defs. 4, 6).

Botany.

placed singly at different heights on the axis, on each side in succession, or at definite angular distances from one another, as leaves.
opposite to the intervals between other organs: petals alternate with sepals.

noun

a person authorized to fill the position, exercise the duties, etc., of another who is temporarily absent; substitute.

Theater.

either of two actors who take turns playing the same role.
an understudy.

alternative.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of alternate

First recorded in 1505–15, alternate is from the Latin word alternātus (past participle of alternāre). See altern, -ate¹

OTHER WORDS FROM alternate

al·ter·nate·ly, adverbal·ter·nate·ness, nounal·ter·nat·ing·ly, adverbnon·al·ter·nat·ing, adjective

qua·si-al·ter·nat·ing, adjectivequa·si-al·ter·nat·ing·ly, adverbun·al·ter·nat·ed, adjectiveun·al·ter·nat·ing, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH alternate

alternate , alternative

Words nearby alternate

alter ego, alter idem, alterity, altern, alternant, alternate, alternate angles, alternate history, alternate host, alternately, alternate plumage

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use alternate in a sentence

The coverage will alternate between leagues each year and gives Turner the most postseason games on a network.
Turner Sports expands its deal with Major League Baseball through 2028|radmarya|September 24, 2020|Fortune
DNA and RNA strands are composed of alternating phosphate and sugar molecules, but sugars “are profoundly unstable in hot spring environments,” says David Des Marais, an astrobiologist at NASA’s Ames Research Center.
Life on Earth may have begun in hostile hot springs|Jack J. Lee|September 24, 2020|Science News
When Epic started offering alternate Fortnite payment methods that avoided Apple’s fee-taking, for instance, Apple blocked the app.
Why Apple let WordPress walk but continues to fight Fortnite’s Epic Games|rhhackettfortune|August 25, 2020|Fortune
In one macabre scene, one of Edison’s employees goes so far as to publicly electrocute a dog with alternating current.
Ethan Hawke stars in ‘Tesla,’ a quirky biopic about the iconic inventor|Maria Temming|August 19, 2020|Science News

So that means in an alternate universe without any southpaw advantage, about 36 percent of current LHPs would be good enough to pitch in the major leagues.
What Really Gives Left-Handed Pitchers Their Edge?|Guy Molyneux|August 17, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
In the absence of typical classrooms and curriculums, West Africans have opted for alternate methods of learning and education.
The Radio Battle to Educate Ebola’s Kids|Abby Haglage|December 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Then at least the American public would have been getting an alternate theory of the case about Keystone.
For Obama, Hell Week Has Arrived|Michael Tomasky|November 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Underneath, a miniature version of the bug-crazy man is revealed, himself thwacking away in an alternate dimension.
‘Interstellar’ Is Wildly Ambitious, Very Flawed, and Absolutely Worth Seeing|Marlow Stern|November 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The other two are da—meaning father—and te—an alternate spelling of ti.
Well, La Ti Da: Stephin Merritt’s Winning Little Words of Scrabble|David Bukszpan|October 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Other new admissions to the dictionary include qayaq—an alternate spelling of kayak—and thongy.
Well, La Ti Da: Stephin Merritt’s Winning Little Words of Scrabble|David Bukszpan|October 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The alternate hexameter and pentameter are, for most purposes, a more agreeable measure than the hexameter by itself.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846|Various
Should it fail, the fluid can generally be pumped out by alternate compression of the tube and the bulb.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
Mrs. Maloney sat on a stump near her daughter, and busied herself energetically with alternate nursing and painting.
Three More John Silence Stories|Algernon Blackwood
In the alternate record of the vote, death and exile appeared to be equally balanced.
Madame Roland, Makers of History|John S. C. Abbott
One of the most characteristic instances of these alternate winds is perhaps that afforded on the island of Jamaica.
Outlines of the Earth's History|Nathaniel Southgate Shaler

British Dictionary definitions for alternate

alternate

verb (ˈɔːltəˌneɪt)

(often foll by with) to occur or cause to occur successively or by turnsday and night alternate

(intr often foll by between) to swing repeatedly from one condition, action, etc, to anotherhe alternates between success and failure

(tr) to interchange regularly or in succession

(intr) (of an electric current, voltage, etc) to reverse direction or sign at regular intervals, usually sinusoidally, the instantaneous value varying continuously

(intr often foll by for) theatre to understudy another actor or actress

adjective (ɔːlˈtɜːnɪt)

occurring by turnsalternate feelings of love and hate

every other or second one of a serieshe came to work on alternate days

being a second or further choice; alternativealternate director

botany

(of leaves, flowers, etc) arranged singly at different heights on either side of the stem
(of parts of a flower) arranged opposite the spaces between other partsCompare opposite (def. 4)

noun (ˈɔːltənɪt, ɔːlˈtɜːnɪt)

US and Canadian a person who substitutes for another in his absence; stand-in

Word Origin for alternate

C16: from Latin alternāre to do one thing and then another, from alternus one after the other, from 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

Scientific definitions for alternate

alternate

[ ôl′tər-nĭt ]

Arranged singly at intervals on a stem or twig. Elms, birches, oaks, cherry trees, and hickory trees have alternate leaves. Compare opposite.

Arranged regularly between other parts, as stamens between petals on a flower.

alternate

Origin of alternate

OTHER WORDS FROM alternate

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH alternate

Words nearby alternate

Words related to alternate

How to use alternate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for alternate

Word Origin for alternate

Scientific definitions for alternate