Alter

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Alter Meaning and Definition in Dictionary

Alter Meaning and Definition from WordNet (r) 2.0
    alter v
  1. cause to change; make different; cause a transformation; "The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue" [syn: change, modify]
  2. make or become different in some particular way, without permanently losing one's or its former characteristics or essence; "her mood changes in accordance with the weather"; "The supermarket's selection of vegetables varies according to the season" [syn: change, vary]
  3. make an alteration to; "This dress needs to be altered"
  4. insert words into texts, often falsifying it thereby [syn: interpolate, falsify]
  5. remove the ovaries of; "Is your cat spayed?" [syn: neuter, spay, castrate]
Alter Meaning and Definition from Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
    Alter \Al"ter\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Altered; p. pr. & vb. n. Altering.] [F. alt['e]rer, LL. alterare, fr. L. alter other, alius other. Cf. Else, Other.]
  1. To make otherwise; to change in some respect, either partially or wholly; to vary; to modify. ``To alter the king's course.'' ``To alter the condition of a man.'' ``No power in Venice can alter a decree.'' --Shak. It gilds all objects, but it alters none. --Pope. My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. --Ps. lxxxix. 34.
  2. To agitate; to affect mentally. [Obs.] --Milton.
  3. To geld. [Colloq.] Syn: Change, Alter. Usage: Change is generic and the stronger term. It may express a loss of identity, or the substitution of one thing in place of another; alter commonly expresses a partial change, or a change in form or details without destroying identity.
Alter Meaning and Definition from Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
    Alter \Al"ter\, v. i. To become, in some respects, different; to vary; to change;

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Wikipedia Meaning and Definition on 'Alter'


  • Alter: To alter generally means to change something, and may refer to: Alter (name), people named Alter. Alter (automobile) Alter (crater), a lunar ...
  • Alter ego: An alter-ego (Latin , "the other I") is a second self , a second personality or persona within a person , who is often oblivious to the ...
  • Alter Channel: Alter Channel better known as Alter, is a private network in Greece . It launched in 1994 and is owned by Eleftheri Tileorasi S.A, which ...
  • Francis Karl Alter: Francis Karl Alter (Franz Karl Alter) (1749–1804), a Jesuit , born in Silesia , and professor of Greek at Vienna , was an editor of the ...
  • Archbishop Alter High School: Archbishop Alter High School, also known as Alter High School, is a Catholic high school in Kettering, Ohio , United States . ...
  • Karl Joseph Alter: Karl Joseph Alter (August 18, 1885—August 23, 1977) was an American clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church . He served as Bishop of ...

Words and phrases related to 'Alter'


Meaning of the Name 'Alter'


  • Meaning: Old
  • Origin: Hebrew
  • Gender: Male

'Alter' example sentence in quotations


* The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind. - William James

* Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months. - Oscar Wilde

* Rationality is the recognition of the fact that nothing can alter the truth and nothing can take precedence over that act of perceiving it. - Ayn Rand


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Alter Sample Sentences in News


  • Syrian outcome could alter its neighbors' future - CNN
    (CNN)-- As events continue to unfold in Syria, the future of this Arab nation remains unknown. There are many questions. Will the regime of President Bashar al-Assad eventually fall? If so, what kind of leadership would replace al-Assad? Read more on this news related to 'Alter'
  • LAPD to alter policy on data possibly related to terrorism - Los Angeles Times
    In the face of privacy concerns, the Los Angeles Police Department has agreed to change the way it collects information on suspicious activity possibly related to terrorism. The department, after coming under fire from civil liberties and ... Read more on this news related to 'Alter'
  • Wife nixes hubby who didn't alter Facebook status to 'married' - CNET News
    "All the news that's fit to be known." This, surely, should be Facebook's tagline as it rockets toward an uncertain future. For, let's face it, if it's not on Facebook, does it really matter? Such logic is being put to the test in India, where a ... Read more on this news related to 'Alter'

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