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.
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Recent Examples of alternated
At midnight toasts were made with Blanc de Blanc champagne, and then the evening continued with a DJ set entrusted to leading names on the international scene, including Carl Cox, Martin Garrix, David Guetta, and Peggy Gou, who alternated until late into the night.
—
Stefania Conrieri, Vanity Fair, 7 June 2026
But at the State meet, officials alternated between sticking to the normal race schedule and running the 2 mile early in the meet and the mile later as had been the case in 1974 at the State meet in Bakersfield.
—Scott M. Reid, Oc Register, 30 May 2026
In 2025, Simmons alternated that technique with others, such as the circle punch.
—Pj Green
may 23, Kansas City Star, 23 May 2026
Since then, the Canes have alternated between practices and off-days to keep themselves refreshed.
—Sean Gentille, New York Times, 21 May 2026
In a podcast taping with Kimmel, Fallon, Seth Meyers and John Oliver last week, Colbert alternated between sentimental and sarcastic about the end of his show.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 18 May 2026
The competition between Morton and Staubach came to a head in 1971 after both started games and even alternated snaps at one point.
—Jim Barnes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 May 2026
The program alternated between stand-up sets — from comics including John Mulaney, Bill Burr, Leanne Morgan, Ron Funches, Nikki Glaser, Matt Rife and Ali Wong — and bidding on some very exclusive items, all in the name of supporting people with autism and their families.
—Kirsten Chuba, HollywoodReporter, 8 May 2026
This was an interesting series as the two teams alternated wins.
—David Troy Outkick, FOXNews.com, 6 May 2026
Stefania Conrieri, Vanity Fair, 7 June 2026
But at the State meet, officials alternated between sticking to the normal race schedule and running the 2 mile early in the meet and the mile later as had been the case in 1974 at the State meet in Bakersfield.
—Scott M. Reid, Oc Register, 30 May 2026
In 2025, Simmons alternated that technique with others, such as the circle punch.
—Pj Green
may 23, Kansas City Star, 23 May 2026
Since then, the Canes have alternated between practices and off-days to keep themselves refreshed.
—Sean Gentille, New York Times, 21 May 2026
In a podcast taping with Kimmel, Fallon, Seth Meyers and John Oliver last week, Colbert alternated between sentimental and sarcastic about the end of his show.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 18 May 2026
The competition between Morton and Staubach came to a head in 1971 after both started games and even alternated snaps at one point.
—Jim Barnes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 May 2026
The program alternated between stand-up sets — from comics including John Mulaney, Bill Burr, Leanne Morgan, Ron Funches, Nikki Glaser, Matt Rife and Ali Wong — and bidding on some very exclusive items, all in the name of supporting people with autism and their families.
—Kirsten Chuba, HollywoodReporter, 8 May 2026
This was an interesting series as the two teams alternated wins.
—David Troy Outkick, FOXNews.com, 6 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for alternated
Verb
-
Adonai Mitchell and John Metchie have both shown flashes of talent, mixed in with far too many drops — Metchie had three over the last two weeks alone.—
Zack Rosenblatt,
New York Times,
8 Dec. 2025
-
That's not a given as climate change is driving an overall decline in ice cover mixed with swings from extreme high to low ice years.—
Caitlin Looby,
jsonline.com,
8 Dec. 2025
Verb
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For context, Federico Chiesa has nine combined in 153 minutes for Liverpool this season, all as a substitute.—
Liam Tharme,
New York Times,
12 Dec. 2025
-
To analyse the event, the team combined X-ray data from NASA’s Swift Observatory with radio measurements from the Very Large Array.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Dec. 2025
Verb
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That image became sort of juxtaposed in my head with footage seen of ICE officers in balaclavas rounding up people in Chicago.—
Baz Bamigboye,
Deadline,
3 Dec. 2025
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This footage is then juxtaposed with a series of clips of flying in the modern day, and includes fighting on flights, people dangling bare feet on seats and brawling at baggage drop.—
Marni Rose McFall,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Syntilay also incorporated a roomier toe box to allow the forefoot to relax and recover after a long period of time on the court.—
Vicki M. Young,
Footwear News,
11 June 2026
-
Building upon the success of the baseline VAMPIRE system, L3Harris has incorporated additional sensor capabilities, precision weapons, electronic jammers, and non-kinetic effectors for use across several domains.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
The nuclear reactions will occur within 15-minute-long periods that will be interspersed with one minute resets.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
9 June 2026
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Emory was still travelling between chess tournaments, and his posts were interspersed with blurry photos of hotels and dark city streets.—
Heidi Blake,
New Yorker,
8 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Alternated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alternated. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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