alternate
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Related to alternate: Alternate angles, Alternate history
al·ter·nate
(ôl′tər-nāt′, ăl′-)v. al·ter·nat·ed, al·ter·nat·ing, al·ter·nates
v.intr.
1.
a. To occur in a successive manner: day alternating with night.
b. To act or proceed by turns: The students alternated at the computer.
2. To pass back and forth from one state, action, or place to another: alternated between happiness and depression.
3. Electricity To reverse direction at regular intervals in a circuit.
v.tr.
1. To do or execute by turns.
2. To cause to alternate: alternated light and dark squares to form a pattern.
adj. (-nĭt)
1. Happening or following in turns; succeeding each other continuously: alternate seasons of the year.
2. Designating or relating to every other one of a series: alternate lines.
3. Serving or used in place of another; substitute: an alternate plan. See Usage Note at alternative.
4. Botany
a. Arranged singly at each node, as leaves or buds on different sides of a stem.
b. Arranged regularly between other parts, as stamens between petals.
n. (-nĭt)
1. A person acting in the place of another; a substitute.
2. An alternative.
[Latin alternāre, alternāt-, from alternus, by turns, from alter, other; see al- in Indo-European roots.]
al′ter·nate·ly adv.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
alternate
vb
1. (often foll by with) to occur or cause to occur successively or by turns: day and night alternate.
2. (often foll by: between) to swing repeatedly from one condition, action, etc, to another: he alternates between success and failure.
3. (tr) to interchange regularly or in succession
4. (Electrical Engineering) (intr) (of an electric current, voltage, etc) to reverse direction or sign at regular intervals, usually sinusoidally, the instantaneous value varying continuously
5. (Theatre) theatre (often foll by: for) to understudy another actor or actress
adj
6. occurring by turns: alternate feelings of love and hate.
7. every other or second one of a series: he came to work on alternate days.
8. being a second or further choice; alternative: alternate director.
9. (Botany) botany
a. (of leaves, flowers, etc) arranged singly at different heights on either side of the stem
b. (of parts of a flower) arranged opposite the spaces between other parts. Compare opposite4
n
US and Canadian a person who substitutes for another in his absence; stand-in
[C16: from Latin alternāre to do one thing and then another, from alternus one after the other, from alter other]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
al•ter•nate
(v. ˈɔl tərˌneɪt, ˈæl-; adj., n. -nɪt)v. -nat•ed, -nat•ing,
adj., n. v.i.
1. to interchange repeatedly and regularly with one another in time or place (usu. fol. by with): Day alternates with night.
2. to change back and forth between states, actions, etc.: He alternates between hope and despair.
3. to take turns: The children alternate in doing chores.
4. Elect. to reverse direction or sign periodically.
v.t. 5. to perform or do in succession or one after another.
6. to interchange successively or regularly: to alternate hot and cold compresses.
adj. 7. interchanged repeatedly one for another: Winter and summer are alternate seasons.
8. reciprocal; mutual: alternate acts of kindness.
9. every second one of a series: Read only the alternate lines.
11. Bot.
n. a. placed singly at different heights on the axis, on each side in succession, or at definite angular distances from one another, as leaves on a stem.
b. opposite to the intervals between other parts: petals alternate with sepals.
12. a person authorized to take the place of another who is temporarily absent.
[1505–15; < Latin alternātus, past participle of alternāre to alternate, v. derivative of alternus by turns, derivative of alter other]
al′ter•nate•ly, adv.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
alternate
– alternative1. 'alternate'
Alternate actions, events, or processes keep happening regularly after each other.
...the alternate contraction and relaxation of muscles.
If something happens on alternate days, it happens on one day, then does not happen on the next day, then happens again on the day after it, and so on. Things can also happen in alternate weeks, months, or years.
We saw each other on alternate Sunday nights.
The two courses are available in alternate years.
2. 'alternative'
You use alternative to describe something that can be used, had, or done instead of something else.
But still people try to find alternative explanations.
There is, however, an alternative approach.
Note that in American English, alternate is sometimes used with this meaning.
How would a clever researcher rule out this alternate explanation?
Alternative can also be a noun. An alternative to something is something else that you can have or do instead.
Food suppliers are working hard to provide organic alternatives to everyday foodstuffs.
A magistrate offered them a Domestic Education course as an alternative to prison.
There is no alternative to permanent storage.
You can also say that someone has two or more alternatives, meaning that they have two or more courses of action to choose from.
If a man is threatened with attack, he has five alternatives: he can fight, flee, hide, summon help, or try to appease his attacker.
Note that it used to be considered incorrect to talk about more than two alternatives.
Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012
alternate
Past participle: alternated
Gerund: alternating
| Imperative |
|---|
| alternate |
| alternate |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. |  alternate - someone who takes the place of another personbackup man, fill-in, reliever, stand-in, backup, substitute, relief - someone who takes the place of another (as when things get dangerous or difficult); "the star had a stand-in for dangerous scenes"; "we need extra employees for summer fill-ins" |
| Verb | 1. | alternate - go back and forth; swing back and forth between two states or conditions |
| 2. |  alternate - exchange people temporarily to fulfill certain jobs and functionsexchange - hand over one and receive another, approximately equivalent; "exchange prisoners"; "exchange employees between branches of the company" rotate - exchange on a regular basis; "We rotate the lead soprano every night" | |
| 3. |  alternate - be an understudy or alternate for a role | |
| 4. |  alternate - reverse (a direction, attitude, or course of action)change by reversal, reverse, turn - change to the contrary; "The trend was reversed"; "the tides turned against him"; "public opinion turned when it was revealed that the president had an affair with a White House intern" | |
| 5. |  alternate - do something in turns; "We take turns on the night shift"spell - take turns working; "the workers spell every four hours" | |
| Adj. | 1. |  alternate - every second one of a series; "the cleaning lady comes on alternate Wednesdays"; "jam every other day"- the White Queen |
| 2. | alternate - serving or used in place of another; "an alternative plan" secondary - being of second rank or importance or value; not direct or immediate; "the stone will be hauled to a secondary crusher"; "a secondary source"; "a secondary issue"; "secondary streams" | |
| 3. |  alternate - occurring by turns; first one and then the other; "alternating feelings of love and hate" | |
| 4. |  alternate - of leaves and branches etc; first on one side and then on the other in two ranks along an axis; not paired; "stems with alternate leaves" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
alternate
verb
1. interchange, change, alter, fluctuate, intersperse, take turns, oscillate, chop and change, follow one another, follow in turn Her gentle moods alternated with calmer states.
2. intersperse, interchange, exchange, swap, stagger, rotate Now you just alternate layers of that mixture and eggplant.
adjective
1. every other, every second The course is taught in alternate years.
2. alternating, interchanging, every other, rotating, every second, sequential They were streaked with alternate bands of colour.
3. substitute, alternative, other, different, replacement, complimentary alternate forms of medical treatment
4. (U.S.) alternative, unusual, abnormal, irregular, unconventional, off-the-wall (slang), unorthodox, heterodox, uncustomary an alternate lifestyle
noun
1. (U.S.) substitute, reserve, deputy, relief, replacement, stand-by, makeshift In most jurisdictions, twelve jurors and two alternates are chosen.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
alternate
verbTo do, use, or occur in successive turns:
One that takes the place of another:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
مُتَنَاوِبمُتَنَاوِب، مُتَعَاقِبيَتَعَاقَبيَتَنَاوَب
střídatstřídavýkaždý druhýob
hver andenskifteskiftevisvekslevekslende
vuoroittainenvuorotella
alterniratinaizmjeničan
minden másodikváltogat
annar hversem skiptist áskiptast á, hafa til skiptis
交互の
교대의
besikaitaliojantiskaitaliojimasiskaitaliotikaitaliotiskas antras
katrs otraismainīgsmainīt
striedať
menjaje
alternativomväxlande
ซึ่งสลับกัน
bir…ara ilebiribirini izleyenkarşılıklınöbetleşe yapmaksıralı
luân phiên
alternate
A. [ɒlˈtɜːnɪt] ADJ
1. (= alternating) → alterno
alternate layers of cheese and potatoes → capas alternas de queso y patatas
we had a week of alternate rain and sunshine → tuvimos una semana en la que se alternaron el sol y las lluvias
let's read alternate lines → vamos a leer cada uno un renglón
alternate layers of cheese and potatoes → capas alternas de queso y patatas
we had a week of alternate rain and sunshine → tuvimos una semana en la que se alternaron el sol y las lluvias
let's read alternate lines → vamos a leer cada uno un renglón
2. (= every second) on alternate days → cada dos días, un día sí y otro no
he lives alternate months in Brussels and London → vive un mes en Bruselas y uno en Londres
to write on alternate lines → escribir en renglones alternos
he lives alternate months in Brussels and London → vive un mes en Bruselas y uno en Londres
to write on alternate lines → escribir en renglones alternos
3. (Bot, Math) → alterno
4. (US) = alternative A
B. [ɒlˈtɜːnɪt] N (US) (Sport) (at conference) → suplente mf
C. [ˈɒltɜːneɪt] VI → alternar
an annual cycle of drought alternating with floods → un ciclo anual de sequías alternando con inundaciones
the temperatures alternate between very hot and extremely cold → las temperaturas oscilan entre un calor y un frío intensos
he alternates between euphoria and depression → pasa de la euforia a la depresión y vice versa
they alternate between avoiding us and ignoring us → unas veces nos evitan y otras nos ignoran
an annual cycle of drought alternating with floods → un ciclo anual de sequías alternando con inundaciones
the temperatures alternate between very hot and extremely cold → las temperaturas oscilan entre un calor y un frío intensos
he alternates between euphoria and depression → pasa de la euforia a la depresión y vice versa
they alternate between avoiding us and ignoring us → unas veces nos evitan y otras nos ignoran
D. [ˈɒltɜːneɪt] VT → alternar
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
alternate
[ɔːlˈtɜːrnɪt] adj
(= alternating) [layers, colours] → alterné(e)
on alternate days → un jour sur deux
on alternate weeks → une semaine sur deux
to take alternate hot and cold baths → alterner les bains chauds et froids
on alternate days → un jour sur deux
on alternate weeks → une semaine sur deux
to take alternate hot and cold baths → alterner les bains chauds et froids
(US) (= alternative, other) [route] → autre; [version] → autre; [method] → de rechange; [plans] → de rechange
[ˈɔːltərneɪt] vi → alterner
to alternate with → alterner avec
to alternate between A and B → passer successivement de A à B
to alternate with → alterner avec
to alternate between A and B → passer successivement de A à B
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
alternate
adj
I go there on alternate days → ich gehe jeden zweiten Tag or alle zwei Tage hin; they do their shopping on alternate days (= every other day) → sie machen ihre Einkäufe jeden zweiten Tag; (= taking turns) → sie wechseln sich täglich mit dem Einkaufen ab; to go through alternate periods of happiness and despair → abwechselnd Zeiten des Glücks und der Verzweiflung durchmachen; they put down alternate layers of brick and mortar → sie schichteten (immer) abwechselnd Ziegel und Mörtel aufeinander
n (US) → Vertreter(in) m(f); (Sport) → Ersatzspieler(in) m(f)
vt → abwechseln lassen; crops → im Wechsel anbauen; to alternate one thing with another → zwischen einer Sache und einer anderen (ab)wechseln; the chairs were alternated with benches → Stühle und Bänke waren abwechselnd aufgestellt
vi → (sich) abwechseln; (Elec) → alternieren; to alternate between one thing and another → zwischen einer Sache und einer anderen (ab)wechseln; the two actors alternated in the role → die beiden Schauspieler wechselten sich in der Rolle ab
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
alternate
[adj ɒlˈtɜːnɪt; vb ˈɒltəneɪt]1. adj (alternating, layers) → alternato/a; (every other, days) → alterni/e pl, uno/a sì e uno/a no
on alternate days → ogni due giorni
alternate angles → angoli alterni
on alternate days → ogni due giorni
alternate angles → angoli alterni
2. vi to alternate (with/between) → alternarsi (a/fra), avvicendarsi (a/fra)
3. vt (crops) → alternare, avvicendare
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
alternate
(ˈoːltəneit) verb to use, do etc by turns, repeatedly, one after the other. John alternates between teaching and studying; He tried to alternate red and yellow tulips along the path as he planted them.
(oːlˈtəːnət) adjective1. coming, happening etc in turns, one after the other. The water came in alternate bursts of hot and cold.
2. every second (day, week etc). My friend and I take the children to school on alternate days.
alˈternately (-ˈtəːnət-) adverbShe felt alternately hot and cold.
alterˈnation nounKernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
alternate
→ مُتَنَاوِب střídavý vekslende abwechselnd εναλλασσόμενος alterno vuoroittainen alterné naizmjeničan alternato 交互の 교대의 afwisselend vekslende naprzemienny alternado чередующийся omväxlande ซึ่งสลับกัน karşılıklı luân phiên 交替的Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
alternate
vt. alternar, turnar; alternating;
n. alteración.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
alternate
adj alterno; — days días alternos; un día sí, un día no; vt, vi alternarEnglish-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.