alternate
Use Alternate in a sentence
al·ter·nate
[v. awl-ter-neyt, al-; adj., n. awl-ter-nit, al-] verb, al·ter·nat·ed, al·ter·nat·ing, adjective, noun 
tərˌneɪt, ˈæl-; verb (used without object)
1.
to interchange repeatedly and regularly with one another in time or place; rotate (usually followed by with ): 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.
verb (used with object)
6.
to perform or do in succession or one after another: to alternate comedy acts; to alternate jogging and walking.
7.
to interchange successively or regularly: to alternate hot and cold compresses.
00:10
Alternate
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is peculate. Does it mean:
| to steal or take dishonestly (money, esp. public funds, or property entrusted to one's care); embezzle. |
| to run away hurriedly; flee. |
adjective
8.
being in a constant state of succession or rotation; interchanged repeatedly one for another: Winter and summer are alternate seasons.
9.
reciprocal; mutual: alternate acts of kindness.
10.
every second one of a series: Read only the alternate lines.
11.
constituting an alternative: The alternate route is more scenic.
12.
alternative ( defs 4, 6 ).
noun
14.
a person authorized to fill the position, exercise the duties, etc., of another who is temporarily absent; substitute.
15.
Theater.
a.
either of two actors who take turns playing the same role.
b.
an understudy.
16.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To alternate
Collins
World English Dictionary
| alternate | |
| —vb (often foll by between) (often foll by for) | |
| 1. | ( |
| 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 |
| —adj | |
| 6. | occurring by turns: alternate feelings of love and hate |
| 7. | every other or second one of a series: he came to work on alternate days |
| 8. | being a second or further choice; alternative: alternate director |
| 9. | botany |
| a. (of leaves, flowers, etc) arranged singly at different heights on either side of the stem | |
| b. Compare opposite (of parts of a flower) arranged opposite the spaces between other parts | |
| —n | |
| 10. | (US), (Canadian) a person who substitutes for another in his absence; stand-in |
| [C16: from Latin alternāre to do one thing and then another, from alternus one after the other, from alter other] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
alternate
1510s, from L. alternatus "one after the other," pp. of alternare "to do first one thing, then the other," from alternus "every other," from alter "the other" (see alter). The verb is recorded from c.1600; the noun meaning "a substitute" is first attested 1848. Alternate means
"by turns;" alternative means "offering a choice." Both imply two kinds or things.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Science Dictionary
alternate (ôl'tər-nĭt) Pronunciation Key
|
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Example sentences
Again if you have an alternate method of showing falsification for a hypothesis as related to climate change let me know.
Members of this genus are alternate hosts to white pine blister more add to my plant list enlarge.
Alternate slices of papaya and avocado across the greens and drizzle with the remaining dressing.
Test suspected liars by making them read alternate versions of their stories.
Nearby Words
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
