ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Alter

Definition, Meaning & Examples

Pronunciation /ˈɒl.tə/ · Part of speech verb

Quick meaning: Alter is a verb meaning (ambitransitive) To change the form or structure of.

Meaning

(ambitransitive) To change the form or structure of.

More Meanings

  1. (intransitive) To become different.
  2. (transitive) To tailor clothes to make them fit.
  3. (transitive) To castrate, neuter or spay (a dog or other animal).
  4. (transitive) To affect mentally, as by psychotropic drugs or illness.
  5. Misspelling of altar.
  6. (psychology, multiplicity) One of the personalities, identities, or selves in a person with dissociative identity disorder or another form of multiplicity.

Example Sentences

Near-synonym: tweak
No power in Venice can alter a decree.
It gilds all objects, but it alters none.
We don't know if he was altered on alcohol or drugs or anything […]

Word Forms

Synonyms for alter

Depending on context, synonyms include adapt, amend, change, convert, differentiate, innovate.

Antonyms for alter

Common opposites include preserve, leave.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include change, vary, interpolate, falsify, neuter, spay.

Commonly Confused & Compared Words

Related Dictionary Tools

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.