alternation

American  

[awl-ter-ney-shuhn, al-] / ˌɔl tərˈneɪ ʃən, ˌæl- /

noun

1. the act or process of alternating or the state of being alternated.

2. alternate succession; repeated rotation.

   the alternation of the seasons.

3. Electricity. a single fluctuation in the absolute value of an alternating current or voltage from zero to a maximum and back to zero, being equal to one half cycle.

4. Linguistics. variation in the form of a linguistic unit as it occurs in different environments or under different conditions, as between the -ed and -en forms of the past participle in danced and spoken or between the (t) and (d) pronunciations of the past tense suffix -ed in hopped and rubbed.

---

alternation British  

/ ˌɔːltəˈneɪʃən /

noun

1. successive change from one condition or action to another and back again repeatedly

2. logic another name for disjunction

---

Etymology

Origin of alternation

First recorded in 1605–15, alternation is from the Late Latin word alternātiōn- (stem of alternātiō ). See alternate, -ion

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

alternation

The alternation between fly-halves continues with Zoe Harrison coming back in to start in place of Holly Aitchison.

From BBC ● May 5, 2026

The alternation between analytic calm and hysteria can be exhausting.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2024

Also, recordings of a kind of electrical dialog between fish featured highly-precise turn-taking in which the fish emitted their electrical discharges in strict alternation.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 6, 2024

Sitting on the chairs and toggling between resilience and collapse, in relay or alternation, they match the force of the electronically layered drums in Mikel Rouse’s prerecorded score.

From New York Times ● Nov. 6, 2023

Because of the length of the lunar day and night Kepler described “the great intemperateness of climate and the most violent alternation of extreme heat and cold on the Moon,” which is entirely correct.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan