alternate
adjective · noun · verb
Simple meaning
Happening by turns.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
awlternuhtSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈɔltɚnət
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adjective
Happening by turns; one following the other in succession of time or place; first one and then the other (repeatedly).
mathematics
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.
us
Other; alternative.
noun
us
A substitute; an alternative; one designated to take the place of another, if necessary, in performing some duty.
That which alternates with something else; vicissitude.
us
A replacement of equal or greater value or function.
verb
transitive
To perform by turns, or in succession; to cause to succeed by turns; to interchange regularly.
intransitive
To happen, succeed, or act by turns; to follow reciprocally in place or time; followed by with.
intransitive
To vary by turns.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Happening by turns; one following the other in succession of time or place; first one and then the other (repeatedly).
Used this way, alternate is a reasonably familiar word with a clearly warm, approving pull. It quietly approves while staying precise.
- Emotional tone
- Positive
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Gentle
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Successful and accomplished
- Usage feel
- Precise and approving
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use alternate
- “We need to find an alternate route because of the road closure.”
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
Reversing direction.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
An old term for an electric generator that produces alternating current (especially in automobiles).
One of a number of things from which only one can be chosen.
In place of, or as an alternative to.
In an alternating sequence or position.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
An electric current that reverses direction sinusoidally.
An electric current that reverses direction sinusoidally.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: substitute
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.