alternately
Britishadverb
Explanation
When something happens by turns, first one way and then another, it occurs alternately. You might spend a long train trip alternately gazing out the window and scrolling on your phone. There are two ways to use this adverb: first, to mean "in an alternating pattern," or going back and forth from one thing to another. Spend a race alternately running and stopping to tie your shoes and you're probably not going to win. It also means "here's another possibility," so you might say: "I'm ordering the fish. Alternately, I'll get the fries and a salad." Alternately has a Latin root that means "to do one thing, then the other."
Vocabulary lists containing alternately
Shake It Up: Alter
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Boy 2.0
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
When Sea Becomes Sky
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Mr. Trump has replied politely, saying alternately that Mr. Vance was “largely correct” about the war’s political cost and that “Iran was a piece of it.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026
The titles are given out alternately, in case two MPs wish to step down at the same time, and each new appointment replaces the previous one.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
Except for Iran, of course, which he alternately bombs, demonizes and flatters.
From Salon ● Aug. 7, 2026
Over the course of the evening, things will be alternately tense, flirty, vulnerable and revelatory as surprisingly little food is eaten.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
They had cut across country at one point through several miles of deep spruce and cedar swamp, so that the going was, alternately, soft and dry and strewn with needles, then damp and spongy.
From "The Incredible Journey" by Sheila Burnford
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
