alternating

adjective

al·​ter·​nat·​ing ˈȯl-tər-ˌnā-tiŋ 

also ˈal-

: occurring by turns or in succession

a fabric with alternating red and blue stripes

… they lacked experience with volcanoes such as St. Helens, a composite of alternating layers of ash and lava.

—Rowe Findley

alternatingly adverb

Alternatingly, place small mounds of the fennel and cabbage on each plate …

—Owen Dugan

Examples of alternating in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The case and bracelet on both models have are stain-brushed and polished in an alternating fashion right down to the folding clasp. — Paige Reddinger, Robb Report, 26 Jan. 2022

In Montgomery, churches could have alternating rows of pews roped off and pillows placed in the others, asking only family members to sit together. — Dennis Pillion | [email protected], al, 19 Apr. 2020

Our bodies are designed to perform these activities in a balanced, alternating and reciprocal pattern. — Dana Santas, CNN, 6 Dec. 2022

In the past, shipping electricity many hundreds of miles over conventional alternating-current lines wasn’t economical because of power losses that mounted rapidly the longer the distance. — Phred Dvorak, WSJ, 7 Mar. 2022

Word History

Etymology

from present participle of alternate entry 2

First Known Use

1653, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing alternating

• alternating current
• alternating group
• alternating series

Rhymes for alternating

• abdicating
• abrogating
• activating
• actuating
• advocating
• aggravating
• aggregating
• agitating
• allocating
• animating
• annotating
• antedating