How to Use alter in a Sentence

alter

verb
  • I'll need to have the dress altered before the wedding.
  • This one small event altered the course of history.
  • He altered his will to leave everything to his sister.
  • Alcohol can alter a person's mood.
  • The place has altered in the 10 years since I left.
  • De’Aaron Fox’s plans for the All-Star break have been altered.
    Jason Jones, sacbee, 14 Feb. 2018
  • On the ground, flakes alter every day, with the air, wind, and sun.
    Juliana Hanle, Scientific American, 18 Nov. 2019
  • The acidic vinegar alters the color as the egg sits in the dye.
    Rita Nader Heikenfeld, The Enquirer, 7 Apr. 2023
  • Not a word can be changed, cut, added, not a scene can be altered.
    Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 8 May 2023
  • The scheme changes and the vision for each player gets altered.
    Omar Kelly, sun-sentinel.com, 12 Sep. 2019
  • The club have not altered his release clause in any way.
    SI.com, 29 June 2018
  • Maybe the next great coach looms to alter a program’s course.
    Alan Blinder, New York Times, 29 Nov. 2021
  • All this could be altered by a flick of a switch from Labour’s Corbyn.
    Henry Porter, The Hive, 13 July 2017
  • All these new dams could do far more than alter the flow of streams.
    Sharon Levy, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Dec. 2022
  • But one bad start won’t alter the Rangers’ desire to keep Darvish long-term.
    Jeff Wilson, star-telegram, 4 July 2017
  • The wind tunnel and the freefalls didn’t alter their performance.
    Manasee Wagh, Popular Mechanics, 7 Nov. 2022
  • But this year’s could alter what thousands of students learn and who will teach them in the years to come.
    oregonlive, 30 Apr. 2023
  • That did not alter the nature of her job, or her approach to it.
    Jeff McDonald, San Antonio Express-News, 14 June 2021
  • Genie+’s launch, though Disney may alter this list in the future.
    Katie Rice, orlandosentinel.com, 8 Oct. 2021
  • But rain isn't the only thing that alters the earth beneath roads.
    Courtney Linder, Popular Mechanics, 28 Feb. 2020
  • Two key facts that drive life on Earth are altered in orbit.
    Tim Fernholz, Quartz, 2 Nov. 2019
  • It has been recreated and altered in countless ways in the years hence.
    Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, 28 June 2018
  • But now, those grades have altered her future, the student says.
    Rachel Leingang, azcentral, 25 June 2019
  • For last night's event, her dress was altered to include cap sleeves.
    Nicole Saunders, Harper's BAZAAR, 13 Mar. 2019
  • The delicate chemistry of a locker room can be altered for the worse.
    Jeff Duncan, NOLA.com, 8 Feb. 2018
  • End of carousel That landscape has already, of course, been altered.
    Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 27 Sep. 2023
  • This change did not alter the schedule for any of the three water and wastewater line projects.
    Tracy Maness, Houston Chronicle, 6 June 2019
  • Sunday’s show was altered because of clouds and light rain.
    Gus Chan, cleveland.com, 1 Sep. 2019
  • If all goes to plan, the collision will redirect the space rock and alter its flight path.
    Max Zahn, ABC News, 26 Sep. 2022
  • After that inglorious start, sterling defense altered the course of the game for the Sox in the top of the third.
    Alex Speier, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Sep. 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'alter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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