What does "alternate" mean?
That which alternates with something else; vicissitude.
Alternate
/ɔlʈə(r).neʈ/ adj, noun, verb
adj, noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: That which alternates with something else; vicissitude.
- Grammar: alternate is listed as adj, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: interchange, advocate, agent, alt.
- Useful contrasts: opposite, active member, coexist.
- Usage evidence: Odd numbers alternate with even ones.
How to use "alternate"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "alternate" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "alternate" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "alternate" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "alternate" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "alternate" is acting as adj, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "interchange" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "alternate", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 That which alternates with something else; vicissitude.
"Grateful alternates of substantial peace."
- 2 someone who takes the place of another person wordnet
- 3 A substitute; an alternative; one designated to take the place of another, if necessary, in performing some duty. US
"Corridors beyond this point have collapsed. I'm looking for an alternate. Careful."
- 4 A proportion derived from another proportion by interchanging the means.
- 5 A replacement of equal or greater value or function. US
Verb
- 1 To perform by turns, or in succession; to cause to succeed by turns; to interchange regularly. transitive
"The most high God, in all things appertaining unto this life, for sundry wise ends alternates the disposition of good and evil."
- 2 do something in turns wordnet
- 3 To happen, succeed, or act by turns; to follow reciprocally in place or time; followed by with. intransitive
"The flood and ebb tides alternate with each other."
- 4 go back and forth; swing back and forth between two states or conditions wordnet
- 5 To vary by turns. intransitive
"The land alternates between rocky hills and sandy plains."
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 reverse (a direction, attitude, or course of action) wordnet
- 7 To perform an alternation (removal of alternate vertices) on (a polytope or tessellation); to remove vertices (from a face or edge) as part of an alternation. transitive
"This case suggests that the alternation of a polyhedron should be bounded by actual vertex figures and alternated faces. The case of the cube is in agreement with this notion, since the alternated square is nothing."
- 8 be an understudy or alternate for a role wordnet
- 9 exchange people temporarily to fulfill certain jobs and functions wordnet
Adjective
- 1 Happening by turns; one following the other in succession of time or place; first one and then the other (repeatedly). not-comparable
"And bid alternate passions fall and rise"
- 2 Happening by turns; one following the other in succession of time or place; first one and then the other (repeatedly).; Alternating; (of e.g. a pair of tinctures which a charge is coloured) succeeding in turns, or (relative to the field) counterchanged. not-comparable
"Goldschmidt (Austria; creation July 27, 1862): [...] party, argent and gules, an eagle of alternate colors, [...]"
- 3 Designating the members in a series, which regularly intervene between the members of another series, as the odd or even numbers of the numerals; every other; every second. not-comparable
"the alternate members 1, 3, 5, 7, etc."
- 4 Other; alternative. US, not-comparable
"Hyperlinked text is displayed in alternate color in a Web browser."
- 5 Distributed singly at different heights of the stem, and at equal intervals as respects angular divergence not-comparable
"Many trees have alternate leaf arrangement (e.g. birch, oak and mulberry)."
Adjective
- 1 occurring by turns; first one and then the other wordnet
- 2 every second one of a series wordnet
- 3 of leaves and branches etc.; first on one side and then on the other in two ranks along an axis; not paired wordnet
- 4 serving or used in place of another wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Odd numbers alternate with even ones."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "alternate"?
Common synonyms include: interchange, advocate, agent, alt, alter ego, alternate number.
How do you use "alternate" in a sentence?
Odd numbers alternate with even ones.
How do you pronounce "alternate"?
Pronounced /ɔlʈə(r).neʈ/.
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin alternātus, the perfect passive participle of Latin alternō (“to take turns”) (see -ate (1,2 and 3)), from alternus (“one after another, by turns”), from alter (“other”) + -nus. Doublet of altern; see also alter.