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
Contrast therapy alternates hot and cold exposure, driving vasodilation and vasoconstriction in what WHOOP calls a vascular pumping effect that increases blood flow and tissue oxygen delivery. — Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Oct. 2026 Duncan said the initial gasping fades after a round or two, and recommends alternating back and forth multiple times for best results. — Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 20 Oct. 2026
Adjective
Motorists were advised to avoid the area and use Interstate 95 as an alternate route. — Cbs Miami Team, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026 The administration this week added several political appointees as alternate commissioners, replacing career officials, ahead of next month’s vote. — Rick Maese, Washington Post, 22 Oct. 2026
Noun
Seeing red UConn revealed new red alternate uniforms this week that will be worn in at least one of the team’s seven home games this season. — Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 27 Aug. 2026 Last year, Cleveland Browns rookie QB Shedeur Sanders was, statistically, one of the NFL’s worst quarterbacks over his seven starts, yet still made the Pro Bowl as the sixth alternate after several opt-outs. — Jonathan Jones, New York Times, 26 Aug. 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
  • Coffee growing in Ethiopia is dominated by smallholders, whose beans are mixed together and sold on.
    — Damian Zane, semafor.com, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Billed as Pokémon Night Out, the show mixed together the creatures from the popular video games and trading cards with the lasers, pyrotechnics and mind-blowing visuals of EDM music.
    — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of mix
Adjective
  • Their sudden burst of ingenuity resulted in a number of alternative systems.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Norwegians who rely on alternative news sources are not necessarily less informed than their peers but are more confident in their knowledge.
    — J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of alternative
Adjective
  • To add to it, backup running back Tyler Goodson got his most burn as a Cowboy, rushing for 38 yards on 10 carries.
    — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Now, the reality has set in for a football team that has not been able to establish a rushing attack, while dwindling in the passing game behind their backup quarterbacks.
    — Trey Wallace OutKick, FOXNews.com, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of backup
Adjective
  • Think fresh Nordic cuisine made with seasonal ingredients in a healthy way (so, seed bread instead of sourdough, and the like).
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Brian Anderson, a professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Texas A&M University, says our brains can learn to attach new, gentler feelings to the same seasonal cues, and that starts with giving yourself room to breathe.
    — Ashley Lynch, Sacbee.com, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of seasonal
Noun
  • What subscription biomarker testing cannot replace Experts caution that these panels are a supplement, not a substitute, for primary care.
    — Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Severe altitude illness is treated by descending and getting medical care – another cup of coca tea is not an adequate substitute.
    — Andrés Henao, The Conversation, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of substitute
Verb
  • Those offseason moves, combined with the injuries, have withered the depth that had allowed Presti to be patient in trade negotiations during previous seasons, without feeling a need to make splashy midseason acquisitions.
    — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Today, the event has evolved into the world’s largest online and physical shopping event, consistently outperforming Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined.
    — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of combine
Adjective
  • Most of the people arriving from Cuba at the height of the influx in 2022 and 2023 came in groups on makeshift vessels, not by smugglers.
    — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Some injured passengers and crew members were taken to a sports hall as makeshift emergency stations were set up, Manuel Galán, the mayor ​of ​Urda near the ​city of Toledo, said, per The Guardian.
    — Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of makeshift
Adjective
  • One of the world’s leading experts in the realm of serial killers grew up on the Northwest Side of the city and now lives in Lincoln Square.
    — Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Stephen Graham plays our villain, Jurek Walter, a serial killer imprisoned in solitary confinement in a concrete cell in the basement of a psychiatric hospital but apparently still working his will on the world.
    — Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 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 30 Oct. 2026.

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