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Definitions
Trivia Time
In Greek mythology, which shape-shifting sea god could alter his appearance at will?

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:

Murthy emphasizes that developing the ability to alter a genetic target does not automatically make doing so the best medical decision.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2026

It has sparked a campaign in the village of Rossington, near Doncaster, with residents worried the proposal could permanently alter a centuries-old landscape.

From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026

Instead, London is pursuing a "debt reset" plan for the poorest Commonwealth countries, led by former Labour prime minister Gordon Brown and which could alter interest rates on repayments.

From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2026

Note to seniors: The recent changes to charitable deductions don’t alter qualified charitable distributions, or QCDs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

Radiation might knock out a piece of the cell’s DNA, change the structure of the cell wall, or alter the thickness of the fluid in the cell.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland

In that scene, Rhys Harries impressively alters his own features without makeup.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026

Spanish meteorological research group Climatoc-Lab described it as "a manifestation of how global warming alters the hydrological cycle".

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

The bank doesn’t think the announcement materially alters the core investment debate, as investors expected a restructuring would involve substantial charges and write-downs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026

In her version, Bernhard alters the lyrics to pay tribute to Sylvester, whose untimely death left an immense legacy.

From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2026

Much as a real mirror introduces changes of its own and does not reflect the simple truth, so this one alters the way the girl looks, revealing a deeper reality.

From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson

El Niño is a naturally occurring climate phenomenon in which warm waters pooling in the eastern Pacific and altered wind patterns drive extreme weather events around the world.

From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026

This suggests that collisions may have altered their surfaces much less than expected.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 2, 2026

Together, they have fundamentally altered the region’s security dynamics, sharply increasing demands on the U.S. and its allies that must track these Chinese movements and be ready to respond.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026

Target, which redesigned its gift-card program in 2024 to prevent tampering, reminds shoppers on its security webpage to look out for gift-card packaging that looks altered and to only check balances on a specific website.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026

But now I know hardly anyone here; as ever, all is altered.

From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque

The former Board of Public Works member suggested that altering the five-member panel should have been its own item, saying, “The longer the paragraphs are, the fewer words the public will read.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026

The warming phase of a natural climate cycle, El Nino events temporarily elevate global temperatures, altering cloud and wind patterns, and raise the risk of damaging weather.

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026

Fintech founders have caught on to how Americans are altering their financial habits, and they’ve created new products to try to meet the moment.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026

Barr revises the work, altering identifying details, and publishes it to acclaim as a novel of his own.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

I’d watched him sketch those blueprints, watched him perform the calculations, altering this angle or lengthening that beam.

From "Educated" by Tara Westover


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