Thesaurus results for ALTERNATES

alternates 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of alternate

as in mixes

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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alternates

2 of 2

noun

plural of alternate

as in substitutes

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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 alternates

Verb

And in our car, whoever is in the front seat gets to play the music, and that alternates day-to-day. —

Marah Eakin, Vulture, 21 Jan. 2026 Among the services offered there is contrast therapy, which alternates heat and cold to promote circulation, reduce inflammation and help with muscle soreness. —

Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 2 Jan. 2026 Another mistake is planting hostas in heavy, clay soil that alternates between soggy and rock hard. —

Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 31 Oct. 2025 According to the researchers, the technology alternates silver ions and trithioisocyanuric acid (TCA) layers on an electrode substrate. —

Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2025 As much as the action, which is tightly cut and usually alternates confidently between characters frantically on-the-move and other characters huddled in claustrophobic spaces, the storylines are held together by the performances. —

Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2025 The home team then alternates on the last three potential duels. —

Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025 The project alternates between details of everyday life—imbued with a surreal, universal quality—and delicate, melancholic landscapes alongside portraits of figures suspended in time, inhabiting their own oneiric world. —

Caterina De Biasio, Vogue, 24 Sep. 2025 From there, Denver alternates between home and away for the first week. —

Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 21 Aug. 2025

Noun

Honorees who advanced to the Super Bowl were replaced by alternates (Trubisky was Jared Goff’s alternate in 2018-19) and the exhibition no longer was held in Aloha Stadium each year. —

Tim Graham, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for alternates

Verb

There’s also a collection of cocktail mixes like Old Fashioned or Manhattan; and maple syrup, from a grower in Vermont, is dark, rich and flavored by bourbon-scented casks.

— Emily M. Olson, Hartford Courant, 17 May 2026
To protect itself, the snail excretes the sulfur, which mixes with iron in the vent water.

— Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 15 May 2026