alternate 1 of 3

verb

Definition of alternatenext
as in to mix
to place or do (different things) so that one follows the other in a repeated series To make the appetizer, you should alternate layers of tomatoes and cheese. The poem alternates fear and hope.

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alternate

2 of 3

adjective

1
as in alternative

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Dissimilar Words
2
as in backup

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Dissimilar Words
3
as in seasonal

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Dissimilar Words

alternate

3 of 3

noun

as in substitute

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of alternate
Verb
The Old Trafford club are targeting a new left-back to alternate with Luke Shaw, because the 31-year-old’s fitness needs to be managed. — James McNicholas, New York Times, 12 Aug. 2026 Zebra striping means alternating between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks during a single social occasion. — Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 11 Aug. 2026
Adjective
Drivers should expect delays and are advised to seek alternate routes or allow extra travel time, Caltrans said. — Bay City News, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2026 Also, per regulations, for 180 days after the decision, alternate buyers could come forward. — Lincoln Anderson, New York Daily News, 15 Aug. 2026
Noun
This is the 25-year-old’s third season with the team, serving as an alternate in 2024. — Ava Dicecca, Sun Sentinel, 24 July 2026 The movie partially takes place much later in the X-Men timeline, in a dystopian alternate 2023. — Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 18 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for alternate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for alternate
  1. mix
  2. alternative
  3. backup
  4. seasonal
  5. substitute
  6. combine
  7. makeshift
  8. serial
Verb
  • Shelton cruised from there, mixing his primary weapons in with athletic defense that garnered big reactions from the Montreal crowd and deflated Nakashima even more.
    — Ava Wallace, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Ogbonnaya, who performs under his first name, will be on the bill; so will No-Fi RPM, a live-mixing series that Curran and Farlee run with collaborators Estevan Medina, Dillon Kelley and Patrick Mitchell.
    — Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of mix
Adjective
  • Trade routes such as the East-West pipeline in Saudi Arabia depend on export via tankers in the Red Sea, some analysts said, meaning any potential escalation of fighting in that area could shut off its viability as an alternative trade route.
    — Max Zahn, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • With Hojbjerg seemingly having turned Newcastle down and Palhinha appearing likely to move elsewhere, Ross Wilson, the club’s sporting director, is exploring alternative midfield options.
    — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of alternative
Adjective
  • The approach of the former was to pause and bask; the latter, to launch with his backup dancers into a complicated set of steps.
    — Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Miller gives the Cubs a true backup shortstop and also has some experience playing first base.
    — Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of backup
Adjective
  • At this unassuming spot in Jardim Botânico, Sudbrack skillfully uses a traditional clay oven to draw remarkable flavors from the simplest of seasonal, fresh, and local ingredients.
    — Mikael Castro, Travel + Leisure, 15 Aug. 2026
  • The restorative bathhouse offers many treatments, a fitness center and there is a seasonal outdoor pool and lawn club.
    — Pamela McLoughlin, Hartford Courant, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of seasonal
Noun
  • The government’s $600 million per year pledge, though appreciated and welcome, is not a substitute for durable, legally enforceable contribution obligations.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 13 Aug. 2026
  • These systems are the most futuristic pieces of the renovation, but Korem presents them as additions to a much larger recovery program—not substitutes for foundational work.
    — Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of substitute
Verb
  • Brooks says advances in engineering, hardware, and access to massive datasets – combined with the incredible amount of money in tech, meant AI innovation could take off.
    — Max Darrow, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
  • The lunch and dinner menu is a window onto the Mediterranean, harmoniously combining the fruits of the land and the sea.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of combine
Adjective
  • The makeshift ballpark, which hosted the White Sox and Yankees in 2021 and the Cubs and Reds in 2022, now has permanent locker rooms and suites.
    — Scott Dochterman, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Agent Mulder, hot on the trail of a group of murderers who are harvesting their victims' organs, breaks into a makeshift laboratory in an attempt to save an abducted woman.
    — Brett Tingley, Space.com, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of makeshift
Adjective
  • Binface, a serial candidate who has challenged prime ministers past and present, became the default challenger in a field of 34 candidates after the major parties boycotted the campaign as a political stunt by Farage.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Liz Meriwether sorta, kinda uses the 1987 thriller Black Widow — in which a government agent (Debra Winger) hunts a female serial killer (Theresa Russell) — as a starting point for a series that doesn’t even bear that title anymore.
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of serial

Browse Nearby Words

altering
alternate
alternated
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Cite this Entry

“Alternate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alternate. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of alternate for Spanish Speakers

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