alternate Hear it!

alternate definition

al·ter·nate (ôl′tər nit, al′-; for v. ôl′tər nāt′, al′-)

adjective

  1. occurring by turns; succeeding each other; one and then the other alternate stripes of blue and white
  2. every other; every second to report on alternate Tuesdays
  3. being one of two or more choices; alternative
  4. Bot.
    1. growing along the stem singly at different intervals, first on one side then the other, etc.
    2. placed at intervals between other parts, as in a flower

Etymology: L alternatus, pp. of alternare, to do by turns < alternus, one after the other < alter, other: see alter

noun

a person standing by to take the place of another if necessary; substitute

transitive verb alternated -·nat′ed, alternating -·nat′·ing

  1. to do or use by turns
  2. to make happen or arrange by turns

intransitive verb

  1. to act, happen, etc. by turns; follow successively good times alternate with bad
  2. to take turns
  3. to exchange places, etc. regularly
  4. Elec. to reverse direction periodically: said of a current

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

alternate Synonyms

alternate

modif.

  1. Alternative

    alternative, substitute, makeshift, other; see temporary.

  2. Recurrent

    intermittent, alternating, every other, every second; see intermittent. See syn. study atintermittent.


alternate

n.

replacement, equivalent, double; see substitute.


alternate

v.

  1. To take or do by turns

    rotate, substitute, follow in turn, follow successively, happen by turns, follow one another, do by turns, act reciprocally, do one then the other, act alternately, relieve, fill in for, exchange, take turns, reciprocate, interchange, transpose, change off, spell*.

  2. To fluctuate

    vary, fluctuate, vacillate, oscillate, waver, seesaw, rise and fall, blow hot and cold, teeter, shift, sway, totter, come and go, ebb and flow, shuffle, go to and fro, ride and tie*, back and fill*, teeter-totter*.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

alternate Usage Examples

Preposition: with

  • panel: Over much of the surface, the original panel segments alternate with the new unpainted metal panels.

Modifies a noun

  • Wednesday: The group meets on alternate Wednesdays at Combine House.

Modifying Another Word

  • annually: The Handbook of Latin American Studies is a bibliography which alternates annually between social sciences and humanities.

Adjective complement

  • current: To do this I will use a power pack with an alternating current with an e.. .
alternate usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

Link to this page:

Cite this page:

MLA Style

"alternate." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/alternate>

APA Style

alternate. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/alternate

Comments:

Please or Register to post a comment