alternate
adjective
al·ter·nate
| \ US and Canadian ˈȯl-tər-nət also ˈal-
; chiefly British ȯl-ˈtər-\
; chiefly British ȯl-ˈtər-\
Definition of alternate
(Entry 1 of 3)
1
: occurring or succeeding by turns
a day of alternate sunshine and rain
2a
: arranged first on one side and then on the other at different levels or points along an axial line
a plant with alternate leaves
— compare opposite entry 1
b
: arranged one above or alongside the other
alternate layers of brick and stone
3
: every other : every second
He works on alternate days.
4
: constituting an alternative
took the alternate route home
5
: alternative sense 2
did not approve of their son's alternate lifestyle
alternate
verb
al·ter·nate
| \ ˈȯl-tər-ˌnāt also ˈal-
\
\
alternated;
alternating
Definition of alternate (Entry 2 of 3)
1
: to perform by turns or in succession
alternated comedies and dramas
2
: to cause to alternate
: to change from one to another repeatedly
Rain alternated with sun.
alternate
noun
al·ter·nate
| \ US and Canadian ˈȯl-tər-nət also ˈal-
; chiefly British ȯl-ˈtər-\
; chiefly British ȯl-ˈtər-\
Definition of alternate (Entry 3 of 3)
1
: alternative
2
: one that substitutes for or alternates with another
They chose twelve jurors and two alternates.
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Examples of alternate in a Sentence
Adjective
Alternate shades of wood formed a pattern around the window. We took an alternate route because of the traffic. Due to an emergency, the plane landed at an alternate airport.Verb
The poem alternates fear and hope. The light and dark woods alternate to form an elegant pattern around the window.Noun
The town has elected five councilors and two alternates.
Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
The sleeves are a disaster, the pants are even worse, the gray facemask makes no sense, and the black alternate uni is an embarrassment. — Paul Lukas, SI.com, "Uni Watch: NFL Uniform Preview 2019," 3 Sep. 2019 However, if a pattern develops where packages are constantly missing, the company may require an alternate delivery plan/location. — Washington Post, "Hints From Heloise: Who’s liable for missing package?," 3 Sep. 2019 Those who already purchased tickets were still allowed into the fairgrounds on Sunday and can return on the alternate concert date. — Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times, "Hurricane Dorian halts a Pitbull concert at the L.A. County Fair," 2 Sep. 2019 In 2017, the Lions' change brought Honolulu blue back as the dominant color and also added grey alternate jerseys. — Jim Reineking, USA TODAY, "NFL's worst-ever uniforms, from Color Rush and throwbacks to regrettable rebrandings," 2 Sep. 2019 While Force was searching for alternate careers to racing, Pritchett was putting herself through school to maximize her chances at earning potential racing sponsors. — Tyler Kraft, Indianapolis Star, "Why women drivers are more prominent in NHRA than other racing circuits," 1 Sep. 2019 Some of Maine Family Planning’s clinics are as far north and east as the Canadian border, making travel to alternate clinics in southern Maine cities prohibitive. — Stephanie Ebbert, BostonGlobe.com, "In rural Maine, family planning clinics face threat of closure," 31 Aug. 2019 Passengers should check with their airlines about alternate arrangements. — Matthew J. Palm, orlandosentinel.com, "Hurricane Dorian: How air, train, bus, car travel is affected," 31 Aug. 2019 Pan, the daemon of Lyra Belacqua (Logan star Dafne Keen) — a willful orphan girl living at Jordan College in this alternate world — will be voiced by the Kit Connor, who played a younger version of Elton John in this year’s movie musical Rocketman. — Nick Romano, EW.com, "Meet the daemons: HBO's His Dark Materials reveals voice cast," 30 Aug. 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Currently, the press release noted, the cubs are alternating between three-hour shifts with their mother and time in an incubator. — Georgia Slater, PEOPLE.com, "Berlin Zoo Panda Expecting 1 Cub Delivers Twins, Marking First Zoo Panda Birth in Germany," 4 Sep. 2019 In the 22 years since Britain returned Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty, China’s leaders have alternated between choosing strongly pro-Beijing business leaders and more politically moderate former British civil servants. — Keith Bradsher, BostonGlobe.com, "Hong Kong’s chief executive is disheartened, but no successor is in sight," 3 Sep. 2019 Cheese and meat can be alternated, or try a veggie skewer (grape tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots and peppers – whatever your child prefers), or the ever popular fruit kabob. — Madelyn Fernstrom, NBC News, "Dr. Fernstrom: 7 healthy (and fun) back-to-school lunch hacks," 3 Sep. 2019 Following this year’s big game between the University of Colorado Buffaloes and Colorado State University Rams, the Rocky Mountain Showdown will alternate between each team’s home turf. — John Wenzel, The Know, "From street art and beer to baseball and turkey legs, eight ways to celebrate Labor Day 2019 in Denver," 28 Aug. 2019 Morris alternated the second half of the season with senior Zeke Payne, who was 43-for-57 passing for 688 yards, five TDs and two interceptions. — Pomerado News, "Time for younger Bronco players to step up," 22 Aug. 2019 Tours are alternating Tuesdays at noon and 1 p.m. 34. — Arizona Republic, azcentral, "100 free things to do in metro Phoenix," 17 Aug. 2019 Since the fair kicked off, last Thursday, candidates for the Democratic nomination have alternated between excoriating the President and straining to showcase their own folksy approachability. — Eren Orbey, The New Yorker, "A Pageantry of Anti-Trumpism at the Iowa State Fair," 14 Aug. 2019 Early in camp, undrafted free agent Kyle Kalis (St. Edward High School) was alternating with Corbett at right guard. — Terry Pluto, cleveland.com, "Cleveland Browns: The strategy of Freddie Kitchens excited fans — Terry Pluto," 11 Aug. 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Absolut Juice Absolut Juice launched stateside this spring and is positioned as an alternate to rosé. — Fortune, "Goodbye, Orange Creamsicle Vodka: Brands Like Absolut and Ketel One Want to Get In on the Wellness Movement," 24 Aug. 2019 The three-month trial ended in a mistrial after another juror abruptly died during deliberations and there were no alternates left. — Angela Ruggiero, The Mercury News, "Ghost Ship trial: How often are trials upended by juror misconduct?," 20 Aug. 2019 Alameda County Superior Court Judge Trina Thompson excused three female jurors and replaced them with a woman and two men who were alternates during the three-month trial of Derick Almena and Max Harris. — Washington Post, "Jury to restart deliberations in Oakland warehouse fire case," 19 Aug. 2019 He was offered the chance to be the alternate at the 2008 Olympics. — Chris Mannix, SI.com, "Shadow Trainer: Ben Getty Is Gone, but Keith Thurman Is Still Listening," 18 July 2019 He was later named as an alternate Pro Bowl selection that year. — azcentral, "Arizona Cardinals' Top 100 players of all-time," 14 Aug. 2019 Lashley, who started the week as third alternate and was the last man in the field, led wire-to-wire by shooting 9-under 63 on Thursday, 5-under 67 on Friday, 63 on Saturday to build a seemingly insurmountable six-shot advantage over the field. — Greg Levinsky, Detroit Free Press, "Nate Lashley caps off his incredible week to win Rocket Mortgage Classic," 30 June 2019 She was also appointed an alternate delegate to the 2007 U.N. General Assembly by President George W. Bush. — Gabriel T. Rubin, WSJ, "Trump’s U.N. Envoy Pick Says She Would Counter China and Russia, Shield Israel," 19 June 2019 After her fourth place finish at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in January, she was instead named as first alternate. — Rose Minutaglio, Cosmopolitan, "EXCLUSIVE: Ashley Wagner Opens Up About Her "Bittersweet" Life As Team USA's Figure Skating Alternate," 15 Feb. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'alternate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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