What does alter mean?

alter means "cause to change; make different; cause a transformation". That is the primary sense; the word has 5 in total, listed in full on this page.

How many syllables are in alter?

alter has 2 syllables: al-ter. The stress falls on "al". In IPA it is /ˈɔltɚ/.

What is another word for alter?

Close synonyms include change, modify, change, vary, interpolate. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.

Is alter a common word?

alter is banded "Common" — everyday vocabulary in speech and writing. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.

What rhymes with alter?

1 word rhymes with alter. Rhymes are matched on the phonemes from the last stressed vowel onward, which is the definition a reader has in their head.

Alter — meaning and how to say it: AWL-tur

verb

5 sensesAn action, occurrence or state of being.

1.
cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
“The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city”
“The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue”
Synonymschange modify
Narrowerawaken cause to sleep affect refresh inseminate indispose cry etiolate shade brutalize
2.
become different in some particular way, without permanently losing one's or its former characteristics or essence
“her mood changes in accordance with the weather”
“The supermarket's selection of vegetables varies according to the season”
Synonymschange vary
Narroweralternate crackle modulate avianize move adapt let out take in diversify specialize
3.
make an alteration to
“This dress needs to be altered”
Broaderchange
4.
insert words into texts, often falsifying it thereby
Synonymsinterpolate falsify
Broaderedit
5.
remove the ovaries of
“Is your cat spayed?”
Synonymsneuter spay castrate
Broadersterilize
Narrowerdefeminize

Other forms of alter

past tense: alterred·
present participle: alterring·
third person: alters·

Forms marked · are formed by the regular rule rather than recorded in the source data. English keeps a few hundred irregulars and the rest follow the pattern, so the rule is right far more often than not — but it is a rule, and the mark says so.

Questions about alter

What does alter mean?: alter means "cause to change; make different; cause a transformation". That is the primary sense; the word has 5 in total, listed in full on this page.
How many syllables are in alter?: alter has 2 syllables: al-ter. The stress falls on "al". In IPA it is /ˈɔltɚ/.
What is another word for alter?: Close synonyms include change, modify, change, vary, interpolate. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.
Is alter a common word?: alter is banded "Common" — everyday vocabulary in speech and writing. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.
What rhymes with alter?: 1 word rhymes with alter. Rhymes are matched on the phonemes from the last stressed vowel onward, which is the definition a reader has in their head.

Definitions, synonyms and semantic relations for alter come from Princeton University’s WordNet. The pronunciation comes from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. Commonness is measured against a corpus of everyday English. Full sources and licences.

verb

5 sensesAn action, occurrence or state of being.

1.
cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
“The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city”
“The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue”
Synonymschange modify
Narrowerawaken cause to sleep affect refresh inseminate indispose cry etiolate shade brutalize
2.
become different in some particular way, without permanently losing one's or its former characteristics or essence
“her mood changes in accordance with the weather”
“The supermarket's selection of vegetables varies according to the season”
Synonymschange vary
Narroweralternate crackle modulate avianize move adapt let out take in diversify specialize
3.
make an alteration to
“This dress needs to be altered”
Broaderchange
4.
insert words into texts, often falsifying it thereby
Synonymsinterpolate falsify
Broaderedit
5.
remove the ovaries of
“Is your cat spayed?”
Synonymsneuter spay castrate
Broadersterilize
Narrowerdefeminize

Other forms of alter

past tense: alterred·
present participle: alterring·
third person: alters·

Questions about alter

What does alter mean?: alter means "cause to change; make different; cause a transformation". That is the primary sense; the word has 5 in total, listed in full on this page.
How many syllables are in alter?: alter has 2 syllables: al-ter. The stress falls on "al". In IPA it is /ˈɔltɚ/.
What is another word for alter?: Close synonyms include change, modify, change, vary, interpolate. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.
Is alter a common word?: alter is banded "Common" — everyday vocabulary in speech and writing. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.
What rhymes with alter?: 1 word rhymes with alter. Rhymes are matched on the phonemes from the last stressed vowel onward, which is the definition a reader has in their head.

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alter

verb

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alter

verb

Other forms of alter

Questions about alter