alternate

American  

[awl-ter-neyt, al-, awl-ter-nit, al-] / ˈɔl tərˌneɪt, ˈæl-, ˈɔl tər nɪt, ˈæl- /

verb (used without object)

• alternates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• alternated,
  past participle,  past
• alternating
  present participle

1. to interchange repeatedly and regularly with one another in time or place; rotate (usually followed bywith ).

   Day alternates with night.

2. to change back and forth between conditions, states, actions, etc..

   He alternates between hope and despair.

3. to take turns.

   My sister and I alternated in doing the dishes.

4. Electricity. to reverse direction or sign periodically.

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

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verb (used with object)

• alternates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• alternated,
  past participle,  past
• alternating
  present participle

1. to perform or do in succession or one after another.

   to alternate comedy acts; to alternate jogging and walking.

2. to interchange successively or regularly.

   to alternate hot and cold compresses.

adjective

1. being in a constant state of succession or rotation; interchanged repeatedly one for another.

   Winter and summer are alternate seasons.

2. reciprocal; mutual.

   alternate acts of kindness.

3. every second one of a series.

   Read only the alternate lines.

4. constituting an alternative.

   The alternate route is more scenic.

5. alternative.

6. Botany.

   1. placed singly at different heights on the axis, on each side in succession, or at definite angular distances from one another, as leaves.

   2. opposite to the intervals between other organs.

      petals alternate with sepals.

noun

• alternates
  plural

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

2. Theater.

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

   2. an understudy.

3. alternative.

alternate British  

verb

1. (often foll by with) to occur or cause to occur successively or by turns

   day and night alternate

2. to swing repeatedly from one condition, action, etc, to another

   he alternates between success and failure

3. (tr) to interchange regularly or in succession

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

5. theatre to understudy another actor or actress

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adjective

1. occurring by turns

   alternate feelings of love and hate

2. every other or second one of a series

   he came to work on alternate days

3. being a second or further choice; alternative

   alternate director

4. botany

   1. (of leaves, flowers, etc) arranged singly at different heights on either side of the stem

   2. (of parts of a flower) arranged opposite the spaces between other parts Compare opposite

noun

1. a person who substitutes for another in his absence; stand-in

alternate Scientific  

/ ôl′tər-nĭt /

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

2. Compare opposite

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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• alternateness
  noun
• nonalternating
  adjective
• quasi-alternating
  adjective
• unalternated
  adjective
• unalternating
  adjective
• alternately
  adverb
• alternatingly
  adverb
• quasi-alternatingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• alternates
  plural

Participles

• alternating
  present
• alternated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• alternate
  simple
• alternates
  simple
• have alternated
  perfect
• has alternated
  perfect
• am alternating
  progressive
• are alternating
  progressive
• is alternating
  progressive
• have been alternating
  perfect progressive
• has been alternating
  perfect progressive

Past

• alternated
  simple
• had alternated
  perfect
• was alternating
  progressive
• were alternating
  progressive
• had been alternating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will alternate
  simple
• will have alternated
  perfect
• will be alternating
  progressive
• will have been alternating
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of alternate

First recorded in 1505–15, alternate is from the Latin word alternātus (past participle of alternāre ). See altern, -ate ¹

Explanation

On a checkerboard, black squares alternate with white ones. As a verb, alternate means to do something in turns. As a noun, an alternate is a replacement. While the noun and verb seem not to mean the same thing, think of it this way: If you are brought on in a game to be someone's alternate, you are there to take their turn. Alternate can also be used as an adjective, meaning different or other. An alternate view of history is one that looks at the past from an uncommon perspective. Pay attention to the pronunciation of alternate: as a verb the end is pronounced "-nāt" and as a noun or adjective "-nət."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

alternate alternates alternated alternating

Southampton will get a Test in alternate men's home Ashes.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

Yet, “To Share a Stomach” lays down — gingerly, gently — an alternate connective thread, spun from a mutual recognition of fallibility.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026

In the 1990s she started attending league meetings as an alternate owner.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

You have no legal duty to step forward, although you should notify the beneficiaries and any alternate executors named in the will as soon as possible.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026

The world has shattered, and all that’s left is this alternate universe full of broken people with nothing to hold on to.

From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed

Interval training alternates between more vigorous periods of exercise and lower-intensity periods of active recovery.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 2, 2026

They don’t deserve a museum that alternates between ignoring and condemning our extraordinary heritage.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

It alternates between "found footage" segments filmed in first person that resemble his web show, and more classic filmic shots.

From Barron's ● May 28, 2026

Her hysterical grin sets your teeth on edge; she alternates between swiftness and stillness in her uncanny movements.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2026

“Mr. D, I think I know what Molly’s getting at. Since there are six people on the D.C. team instead of four, which of the alternates will you choose?”

From "Out of My Mind" by Sharon M. Draper

During this moment, electronic bonds between neighboring sites alternated between stronger and weaker in a repeating pattern.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 21, 2026

We alternated between mat and barre work, using light weights and an exercise strap and ball.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

The economy has alternated between adding jobs and losing jobs for 10 months in a row, and the on-and-off streak is likely to extend into March.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 2, 2026

It alternated the order of kicks but confused players and supporters.

From BBC ● Jan. 14, 2026

Inconsistencies began to arise in crucial details, all of which I inexplicably confused and alternated.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee

But on this day, they had to try to deliver victory in a California tiebreaker, with the ball placed on the 50-yard and the team that advanced the ball farthest after alternating plays wins.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026

Their simulations showed that disruptions often travel through alternating direct and indirect pathways, moving across international trade links as well as domestic production chains.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 20, 2026

In its first 250 years, the U.S. has seen periods of shared prosperity alternating with eras like the Gilded Age, in which income inequality spiked.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026

To transform the medium-voltage alternating current that the grid serves to most end users into higher-voltage direct current, Nvidia suggests companies use solid-state transformers instead of the old kind.

From Barron's ● Jun. 4, 2026

The seniors and freshmen filed in, one couple at a time, alternating between senior boy and freshman girl and senior girl and freshman boy.

From "Tradition" by Brendan Kiely

Related Words

• alter
• intersperse
• rotate
• vary
• waver