Meanings
alter1
present singular third person alters · participle present altering · participle past altered · past altered · alternative altre
- ambitransitiveTo change the form or structure of.
Near-synonym: tweak
4 more examples
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]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, rectoMy 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 89:34It 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 […], →OCLCSynonyms: tweak
- intransitiveTo 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 11 more example
[…] 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 - transitiveTo 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
alter2
plural alters
- multiplicityhuman sciencesOne of the personalities, identities, or selves in a person with dissociative identity disorder or another form of multiplicity.
While the second goal would be best met if each alter were coconscious, the defendant should be satisfied if at least one competent alter is present to hear what transpires.
2000, Elyn R. Saks, Stephen H. Behnke, Jekyll on Trial: Multiple Personality Disorder and Criminal Law, page 147Synonyms: headmate
alter3
- misspellingMisspelling of altar.
As an alter boy he remembered that walking between the alter and the gates was prohibited for everyone except the priest.
2002, Nicholas Smeed, Resurrections: Vignettes About Discovery, Relationships, Personal Empowerment, And Preternatural Experiences, Xlibris Corporation, →ISBN, page 264 more examples
The hardest part of being an alter boy was learning Latin. The mass was conducted in Latin and we had to learn to pray in Latin.
2007, Jerry P. Martinez, Leche De Coyote, Xlibris Corporation, →ISBN, page 39On the alter, several candles sat unlit. An open bible rested among the candles. Behind the alter, hanging high, a huge cross was affixed to the wall, with a replica of Jesus in rags nailed to it. A simple wooden door stood closed behind the alter […]
2009, Todd Sprague, Survive, Todd Sprague, →ISBN, page 142Truth motioned to Alexandra, “There; the key is kept on the alter.” She spotted it easily, for it was now well lighted by an amber colored presence light. She and the others moved quickly toward the alter.
2011, Suzanne Dekeyzer James, The Stone Harp, Xlibris Corporation, →ISBN, page 146Third-rate alter boy. Skinny, lousy face, brown hair with a cowlick as big as Sputtnik. So as not to go on about it, I can put it in one word: Butt-ugly.
2018, William Francis Jack, Alter Boy Rules, Lulu Press, Inc, →ISBN
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo change the form or structure of.
nounOne of the personalities, identities, or selves in a person with dissociative identity disorder or another form of multiplicity.
More synonyms by meaning
verbcause to change; make different; cause a transformation
verbbecome different in some particular way, without permanently losing one's or its former characteristics or essence
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
alter · verb
- Latinalter“the other”
- Medieval Latinalterāre“to make other”
- Old Frenchalterer
- Englishalter
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.
More words from Old French, Medieval Latin, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic غَيَّرَ
- غَيَّرَ (ḡayyara)to change the form or structure of
Bulgarian изме́ням, изменя́
- изме́ням (izménjam)to change the form or structure of
- изменя́ (izmenjá)to change the form or structure of
- проме́ням (proménjam)to change the form or structure of
- променя́ (promenjá)to change the form or structure of
Catalan alterar
- alterarto change the form or structure of
Chinese Mandarin 改變 /改变, 轉變 /转变
- 改變 /改变 (gǎibiàn)to change the form or structure of
- 轉變 /转变 (zhuǎnbiàn)to change the form or structure of
Czech měnit, změnit
- měnitto change the form or structure of
- změnitto change the form or structure of
- proměňovatto change the form or structure of
- proměnitto change the form or structure of
Esperanto aliigi, ŝanĝi
- aliigito change the form or structure of
- ŝanĝito change the form or structure of
- aliformito change the form or structure of
- aliformigito change the form or structure of
- ŝanĝiĝito become different
Finnish muuttaa
- muuttaato change the form or structure of
French changer, altérer
- changerto change the form or structure of
- altérerto change the form or structure of
- modifierto change the form or structure of
German abändern, ändern
- abändernto change the form or structure of
- ändernto change the form or structure of
Hebrew שינה, שִׁנָּה
- שינהto change the form or structure of
- שִׁנָּה (shiná)to change the form or structure of
Hungarian módosít
- módosítto change the form or structure of
Japanese 変える, 変更する
- 変える (kaeru)to change the form or structure of
- 変更する (henkō suru)to change the form or structure of
- 直す (naosu)to change the form or structure of
Korean 변경하다, 바꾸다
- 변경하다 (byeon'gyeonghada)to change the form or structure of
- 바꾸다 (bakkuda)to change the form or structure of
- 개조하다 (gaejohada)to change the form or structure of
- 달라지다 (dallajida)to change the form or structure of
- 변경되다 (byeon'gyeongdoeda)to change the form or structure of
- 고치다 (gochida)to change the form or structure of
- 거세하다 (geosehada)to change the form or structure of
Māori panoni, whakarerekē
- panonito change the form or structure of
- whakarerekēto change the form or structure of
- whakaumuto change the form or structure of
Polish zmieniać, zmienić
- zmieniaćto change the form or structure of
- zmienićto change the form or structure of
- przerabiaćto change the form or structure of
- przerobićto change the form or structure of
Portuguese alterar, mudar
- alterarto change the form or structure of
- mudarto change the form or structure of
- modificarto change the form or structure of
Russian изменя́ть, измени́ть
- изменя́ть (izmenjátʹ)to change the form or structure of
- измени́ть (izmenítʹ)to change the form or structure of
- меня́ть (menjátʹ)to change the form or structure of
- поменя́ть (pomenjátʹ)to change the form or structure of
- переде́лывать (peredélyvatʹ)to change the form or structure of
- переде́лать (peredélatʹ)to change the form or structure of
Scottish Gaelic mùth
- mùthto change the form or structure of
Slovak meniť, zmeniť
- meniťto change the form or structure of
- zmeniťto change the form or structure of
Spanish alterar, cambiar
- alterarto change the form or structure of
- cambiarto change the form or structure of
- modificarto change the form or structure of
Swedish modifiera, förändra
- modifierato change the form or structure of
- förändrato change the form or structure of
- ändrato change the form or structure of
Ukrainian змі́нювати, міня́ти
- змі́нювати (zmínjuvaty)to change the form or structure of
- міня́ти (minjáty)to change the form or structure of
- зміни́ти (zminýty)to change the form or structure of
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with alter
All rhymes →Sounds the same
Anagrams
Cite this entry
alter. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/alter
“alter.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/alter. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “alter,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/alter.
Source: alter on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.