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Definitions

alter

[awl-ter] / ˈɔl tər /




Usage

What is another way to say alter? To alter is to make some partial change, as in appearance, while still preserving the identity: to alter a dress, as by raising the hem (to change a dress would mean to put on a different one). To change is to make a material difference so that something is distinctly different from what it was: to change one's opinion. 

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Pakistan were unfortunate to lose opener Imam to a calf injury, but his absence probably did little to alter the outcome.

From BBC Aug. 28, 2026

The new BLS estimate doesn’t alter the picture of what economists call a “low-hire, low-fire” labor market.

From MarketWatch Aug. 28, 2026

To understand how these experiences can physically alter the developing brain, the researchers focused on the ventral tegmental area.

From Science Daily Aug. 26, 2026

He rejected a proposed constitutional amendment that would make it harder for lawmakers to alter measures approved by voters, saying it was unconstitutional.

From Salon Aug. 25, 2026

I alter bodies, change hair colors and skin tones, give a man a songbird voice, erase agelines, and try to reassure frantic courtiers about how beautiful they are.

From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton

Infant formula is designed to provide the correct balance of nutrients for babies when mothers cannot or choose not to breastfeed, and adding extra water alters that balance.

From BBC Aug. 16, 2026

Prolonged heat exposure alters development and threatens long-term population stability.

From Science Daily Jul. 29, 2026

He used his remission to promote CAR T-cell therapy, which genetically alters one’s cells to fight cancer, after he said chemotherapy stopped working.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 13, 2026

Moreover, the repeal of this rule substantially alters settlement dynamics.

From MarketWatch Jun. 17, 2026

Whether released into soil or water or a man’s blood, these unrelated chemicals do not remain segregated; there are mysterious and unseen changes by which one alters the power of another for harm.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

"Once it is cut up by deep ruts, the water balance can be altered for years degrading habitat and reducing carbon storage," she said.

From BBC Aug. 26, 2026

The analysis revealed altered activity in several genes whose genetic variants have previously been associated with major depression.

From Science Daily Aug. 25, 2026

“The fact that exercises already in progress can be altered by a single order from the U.S. President is something we must not take lightly,” a party spokesman said on Wednesday.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 19, 2026

After moving to Los Angeles, Lynch started visiting the Spiritual Regeneration Movement Center in Santa Monica and it altered his life.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 18, 2026

Maybe it had just been taken, after she was captured—or maybe it was altered.

From "The Strangers" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

He said what happened with Afropunk is “a tale as old as time” and Morgan being outside of the movement led to “moneyed interests” altering what Spooner had created.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 20, 2026

"Our findings suggest that the life history of blood stem cells could influence the risk of brain diseases by altering the microglia," Jaiswal said.

From Science Daily Aug. 14, 2026

Second, they called on the government to put greater consideration into the crimes committed by prisoners when altering their sentences.

From BBC Aug. 11, 2026

That raw information allows anyone to run a model on specialized hardware and to build on top of the model, altering its weights with additional data in a process called fine-tuning.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 2, 2026

They were altering their course, bearing straight down on the Astrea.

From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham




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