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Definitions

alternate

[awl-ter-nayt, al-, awl-ter-nit, al-] / ˈɔl tərˌneɪt, ˈæl-, ˈɔl tər nɪt, ˈæl- /
ADJECTIVE
substitute
Synonyms
Antonyms






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:

Rather than spinning their entire bodies together, the snakes alternate between rolling on one side and swinging a curved section of their bodies downward beside their heads.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026

Why would Slate go to the trouble of creating this alternate reality?

From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026

The move pushed as many as 20,000 vehicles a day onto alternate routes, including Gorski’s street.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

In the alternate reality, the Dodgers start Yamamoto — perhaps the world’s best big-game pitcher — followed by Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and maybe Emmet Sheehan.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026

Not that she’s really a criminal, but if they have bad laws....The people from the alternate world think the Gustano kids are hers.

From "The Strangers" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

While the marketing industry often alternates between dread and hype regarding AI, Dimon suggested that he views the tech as powerful but also practical.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026

The collaboration alternates between observing runs that collect scientific data and periods dedicated to commissioning and upgrading the detectors.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 2, 2026

The rest of the album alternates between chaos and control, introspection and criticism, grungy beats and hazy surrealism.

From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2026

It alternates between "found footage" segments filmed in first person that resemble his web show, and more classic filmic shots.

From Barron's ● May 28, 2026

“Mr. D, I think I know what Molly’s getting at. Since there are six people on the D.C. team instead of four, which of the alternates will you choose?”

From "Out of My Mind" by Sharon M. Draper

Grieving relatives alternated between watching intently and closing their eyes, overwhelmed by the grim exercise.

From Barron's ● Aug. 30, 2026

During this moment, electronic bonds between neighboring sites alternated between stronger and weaker in a repeating pattern.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 21, 2026

Erika alternated between sobbing so much she couldn’t speak and sharing beloved memories about Charlie.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026

Yamamoto threw 20 pitches to a pair of his teammates, with right-handed hitting catcher Will Smith and left-handed hitting infielder Hyeseong Kim alternated at-bats.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 13, 2026

Sharon Ito, the daughter of the Japanese sharecropper for whom we picked strawberries during the summer, and I alternated taking the first seat, although she sat in it more often than I did.

From "The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child" by Francisco Jiménez

Developed in parallel by several studios, "Call of Duty" has been split into two series for more than 15 years, with new titles released in alternating years.

From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026

Two baseball fields will be set up on opposite ends of the stadium, with the game taking place on each during alternating innings.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

Leading an orchestra of 22, featuring lively colorations from saxophone, harp, marimba and guitar, conductor Michael Sakir captured the music’s landscape of alternating pulse and elegy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

Professor Alexey Kornyshev from Imperial College London and his collaborators originally suggested that salt ions surrounding DNA could produce alternating patterns of electrical charge.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 10, 2026

The akrafena’s inscriptions turn from a bright white to alternating colors.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer


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