alter en · VERB · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- /ˈɔl.təɹ/ (General-American)
- /ˈɔːl.tə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˈɒl.tə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˈɑl.təɹ/ (cot-caught-merger)
- (General-American) audio
- (US) audio
Etymology
From Old French alterer (French altérer), from Medieval Latin alterāre (“to make other”), from Latin alter (“the other”), from al- (seen in alius (“other”), alienus (“of another”), etc.; see alias, alien, etc.) + compar. suffix -ter.
Meanings
-
(ambitransitive) To change the form or structure of.
My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Psalms 89:34:No power in Venice can alter a decree.
c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i]:It gilds all objects, but it alters none.
1711 May, [Alexander Pope], An Essay on Criticism, London: […] W[illiam] Lewis […]; and sold by W[illiam] Taylor […], T[homas] Osborn[e] […], and J[ohn] Graves […], →OCLC:Lou's not Times foole, though roſie lips and cheeks VVithin his bending ſickles compaſſe come, Loue alters not with his breefe houres and vveekes, But beares it out euen to the edge of doome: If this be error and vpon me proued, I neuer vvrit, nor no man euer loued.
1609, William Shakespeare, “Sonnet 116”, in Shake-speares Sonnets. […], London: By G[eorge] Eld for T[homas] T[horpe] and are to be sold by William Aspley, →OCLC, signature H, recto:Near-synonym: tweak
-
(intransitive) To become different.
All of these statistics are expected to alter, however, as they are altering in nearly all demographic areas.
1987 February 22, Elizabeth Pincus, “Fighting AIDS in Nashville Means Fighting Closets and Conservatism”, in Gay Community News, volume 14, number 31, page 1:[…] Passing the song of the hermit bird and the tallying song of my soul, / Victorious song, death’s outlet song, yet varying ever-altering song, […]
1865, Walt Whitman, “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d”, in Sequel to Drum-Taps: When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d and other poems:
- (transitive) To tailor clothes to make them fit.
- (transitive) To castrate, neuter or spay (a dog or other animal).
-
(transitive) To affect mentally, as by psychotropic drugs or illness.
We don't know if he was altered on alcohol or drugs or anything […]
2016 February 10, Sydney Pruitt and Claire Ricke (quoting Jeff Barrick), "Police: Man lying in street hit, killed by Capital Metro bus", KXAN
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| altering | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| altre | alternative | lexicographic | |
| alters | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| altered | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| altered | Tense=Past | lexicographic |
Antonyms
leave be · leave alone · let be · let alone · preserve
Deriveds
alterably · alter or change · misalter · alteringly · unalter · alterable · alterability · alter-globalization · alter-ego · alterer · realter · mind-altering · prealter · unaltering · alter-globalist · alterative
Hyponyms
revert · deconvert · homogenize · worsen · improve · repair · diversify · mix
Relateds
alteration · alterant · alternate · alternative
Synonyms
amend · modify · alter · revamp · rework · tweak · change · innovate · transume · differentiate · adapt · variate · convert · metamorphose · transmogrify · transform · vary
Translations (89)
fr changer (to change the form or structure of) · pl przerobić (to change the form or structure of) · ru переде́лывать (to change the form or structure of) · pl zmieniać (to change the form or structure of) · ko 바꾸다 (to change the form or structure of) · ru переде́лать (to change the form or structure of) · sh промјењи́вати (to change the form or structure of) · bo བཟོ་བཅོས་གཏོང (to change the form or structure of) · sk zmeniť (to change the form or structure of) · cs změnit (to change the form or structure of) · sh проме́нити (to change the form or structure of) · mi panoni (to change the form or structure of) · bg проме́ням (to change the form or structure of) · eo aliformi (to change the form or structure of) · uk міня́ти (to change the form or structure of) · ru изменя́ть (to change the form or structure of) · ko 고치다 (to change the form or structure of) · bg изменя́ (to change the form or structure of) · mi whakaumu (to change the form or structure of) · sl spremeniti (to change the form or structure of) · mk променува (to change the form or structure of) · sk meniť (to change the form or structure of) · mk промени (to change the form or structure of) · sh izmeniti (to change the form or structure of) · eo aliigi (to change the form or structure of) · or ବଦଳାଇବା (to change the form or structure of) · sh промењи́вати (to change the form or structure of) · sh измије́нити (to change the form or structure of) · sh izmijéniti (to change the form or structure of) · pl zmienić (to change the form or structure of) · pl przerabiać (to change the form or structure of) · gd mùth (to change the form or structure of) · sh promijéniti (to change the form or structure of) · bo བརྗེ་སྒྱུར་གཏོང (to change the form or structure of) · mi whakarerekē (to change the form or structure of) · pt alterar (to change the form or structure of) · ko 개조하다 (to change the form or structure of) · ar غَيَّرَ (to change the form or structure of) · sh promenjívati (to change the form or structure of) · uk зміни́ти (to change the form or structure of) · sv ändra (to change the form or structure of) · cmn 轉變 /转变 (to change the form or structure of) · ko 변경되다 (to change the form or structure of) · ast alterar (to change the form or structure of) · ru поменя́ть (to change the form or structure of) · pt mudar (to change the form or structure of) · cs proměnit (to change the form or structure of) · de ändern (to change the form or structure of) · he שִׁנָּה (to change the form or structure of) · ja 変更する (to change the form or structure of) · hu módosít (to change the form or structure of) · be змяні́ць (to change the form or structure of) · sh изме́нити (to change the form or structure of) · es cambiar (to change the form or structure of) · ko 거세하다 (to change the form or structure of) · ru меня́ть (to change the form or structure of) · pt modificar (to change the form or structure of) · sh proméniti (to change the form or structure of) · sv modifiera (to change the form or structure of) · ast alteriar (to change the form or structure of) · sh промије́нити (to change the form or structure of) · uk змі́нювати (to change the form or structure of) · ja 直す (to change the form or structure of) · ru измени́ть (to change the form or structure of) · io alterar (to change the form or structure of) · be змяня́ць (to change the form or structure of) · eo aliformigi (to change the form or structure of) · bg променя́ (to change the form or structure of) · eo ŝanĝiĝi (to become different) · de abändern (to change the form or structure of) · fr modifier (to change the form or structure of) · ja 変える (to change the form or structure of) · fr altérer (to change the form or structure of) · es modificar (to change the form or structure of) · cmn 改變 /改变 (to change the form or structure of) · sh promjenjívati (to change the form or structure of) · sv förändra (to change the form or structure of) · bg изме́ням (to change the form or structure of) · cs proměňovat (to change the form or structure of) · es alterar (to change the form or structure of) · cs měnit (to change the form or structure of) · ko 달라지다 (to change the form or structure of) · eo ŝanĝi (to change the form or structure of) · ca alterar (to change the form or structure of) · fi muuttaa (to change the form or structure of) · he שינה (to change the form or structure of) · bo བཟོ་བཅོས (to change the form or structure of) · ko 변경하다 (to change the form or structure of) · gl alterar (to change the form or structure of)