as in mixed
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.
Related Words
Relevance
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 alternated
Over a 15-minute Zoom call Monday, Chiefs coach Andy Reid alternated between expressing confidence in his former-but-now-new offensive coordinator and stumping for his most-recently former offensive coordinator to get a head coaching job elsewhere.
—
Sam McDowell 27, Kansas City Star, 27 Jan. 2026
Kevin Hassett, Kevin Warsh and Rick Rieder have alternated as favorites.
—Simon Moore, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026
She’s alternated between the Barbara boots and the Mary Jane pumps, and has paired them with just about any ensemble, ranging from casual street style to go Christmas shopping or with a Balenciaga dress to go to court.
—Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 20 Jan. 2026
The team has alternated between wins and losses for 13 games straight.
—Jason Beede, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 Jan. 2026
Karlstrom, 35, alternated in the lead until Christie became ill on the course about three-fourths through the race.
—Glae Thien, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026
Venezuela’s interim leader, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, has alternated between taking a conciliatory approach towards Washington and striking a defiant tone.
—Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 5 Jan. 2026
Stocks alternated between gains and losses on Friday, the first trading day of the new year, though the S & P 500 eventually closed higher .
—Sarah Min, CNBC, 2 Jan. 2026
To counter signal loss caused by steady-state effects at such short repetition times, the team alternated positive and negative offset frequency excitations, preserving image quality.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 1 Jan. 2026
Sam McDowell 27, Kansas City Star, 27 Jan. 2026
Kevin Hassett, Kevin Warsh and Rick Rieder have alternated as favorites.
—Simon Moore, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026
She’s alternated between the Barbara boots and the Mary Jane pumps, and has paired them with just about any ensemble, ranging from casual street style to go Christmas shopping or with a Balenciaga dress to go to court.
—Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 20 Jan. 2026
The team has alternated between wins and losses for 13 games straight.
—Jason Beede, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 Jan. 2026
Karlstrom, 35, alternated in the lead until Christie became ill on the course about three-fourths through the race.
—Glae Thien, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026
Venezuela’s interim leader, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, has alternated between taking a conciliatory approach towards Washington and striking a defiant tone.
—Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 5 Jan. 2026
Stocks alternated between gains and losses on Friday, the first trading day of the new year, though the S & P 500 eventually closed higher .
—Sarah Min, CNBC, 2 Jan. 2026
To counter signal loss caused by steady-state effects at such short repetition times, the team alternated positive and negative offset frequency excitations, preserving image quality.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 1 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for alternated
Verb
-
Wesley Fofana’s minutes have to be managed due to his various injury issues since joining from Leicester City in 2022, and his form has been mixed in any case.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
31 Jan. 2026
-
The bar team relies on fresh produce and herbs like the Little Leaf, a zippy refresher mixed with mezcal, cucumber, cilantro, and jalapeño.—
Lizbeth Scordo,
Condé Nast Traveler,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The pop of blue, combined with the retro-eque design, is sure to make any outfit stand out.—
Alyssa Morin,
InStyle,
30 Jan. 2026
-
The guard scored 15 of his game-high 23 points in the fourth quarter while his teammates combined for 13.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Pieces made of wrought iron also make for great additions, and can be juxtaposed with warm, welcoming, and layered interiors for a subtle statement.—
Hannah Coates,
Vogue,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Its slouchy silhouette juxtaposed with the glitzy detailing delivers an effortlessly cool effect.—
Jordan Julian,
InStyle,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Musk first incorporated xAI in March 2023, and revealed its existence publicly four months later, describing it as a politically incorrect competitor to OpenAI.—
Lora Kolodny,
CNBC,
29 Jan. 2026
-
And guidance likely would be folded into the city’s next comprehensive plan, according to Mayor Lauren McLean, though it could be incorporated sooner through a public revision process.—
Mark Dee
January 29,
Idaho Statesman,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Research team pointed out that theoretical modeling suggested that theta-phase tantalum nitride could exhibit unusually efficient heat transport due to its unique atomic structure, in which tantalum atoms are interspersed with nitrogen atoms in a hexagonal pattern.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Jan. 2026
-
Urgent calls to unite against injustice were interspersed with energetic gospel on Monday at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where King preached.—
Terry Tang,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Alternated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alternated. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
