alternates 1 of 2

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

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
Under the current agreement, Maceo splits his time between both parents during the week and alternates weekends with exceptions for certain holidays. — Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026 Gathering 5,700 members from more than 50 countries across Europe, the European Film Academy oversees the annual European Film Awards, which alternates taking place in its home city of Berlin and another European city, which is Athens this year. — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2026 The sins of the father are ultimately presented in a literal, stomach-churning slideshow that haphazardly alternates benign family snaps with gleeful photographic evidence of Johan’s war crimes. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 19 Sep. 2026 As the train emerges from the tunnel, pitch darkness alternates with sudden bursts of sunlight through openings in the bedrock. — Ben Corn, Christian Science Monitor, 19 Sep. 2026 The drink-swap strategy, which alternates alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, is being fueled by declining alcohol consumption in younger generations. — Hanna Wickes, Sacbee.com, 24 Aug. 2026 To achieve this, the locus coeruleus continuously alternates between tonic activity—governing baseline arousal and alertness—and brief phasic bursts that focus attention on critical events. — Julian Hayes Ii, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026 Kate Middleton is rumored to wear the brand’s Orange Blossom Cologne, while Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, reportedly alternates between the scents Wood Sage and Sea Salt and Wild Bluebell. — Ariel Wodarcyk, InStyle, 3 Aug. 2026 The Panthers have more than enough leadership to go around in their dressing room beyond captain Aleksander Barkov and alternates Matthew Tkachuk and Aaron Ekblad. — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 24 June 2026
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
  • The collection mixes authentic OshKosh details like denim and hickory stripe, reimagined with signature Sergio Hudson design elements.
    — Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The doc, for which Shirai and Hiroshi Harahandled cinematography, with Frederick Shanahan as editor, mixes intimate vérité with poetic observation to reveal more about a sport that often seems particularly foreign to those outside of Japan.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 12 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Liverpool coach Andoni Iraola dropped Virgil van Dijk to the substitutes’ bench with French defender Jérémy Jacquet starting.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Some consumers searched for substitutes, and ethanol was an answer then.
    — Wael Mahdi, semafor.com, 14 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Churchill juxtaposes a surreal dinner party featuring famous women from literature, history and myth with a contemporary drama of two sisters who have made starkly different choices with their lives.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Tokyo’s hospitality scene is as diverse as the city itself, a place of dizzying contrasts where ancient temples sit in the shadow of gleaming skyscrapers, and traditional craftsmanship juxtaposes cutting-edge technology.
    — Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 30 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Bombas Return Policy Bombas’ Happiness Guarantee covers free returns, exchanges, and replacements—including free shipping.
    — Katie Decker-Jacoby, StyleCaster, 13 Oct. 2026
  • When a code set changes underneath a policy, somebody has to map which of 10 replacements carries the standing the original had, and by default, that is nobody’s job.
    — JP Montoya, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • In modern nuclear weapons, conventional explosives set off a fission reaction—the splitting of big atoms—whose intensity then ignites a fusion reaction that combines light atoms.
    — Sarah Scoles, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Its formula combines peptides, niacinamide, and exfoliating lipohydroxy acid to help skin look smoother and brighter, while keeping it hydrated for hours.
    — Jenny Berg, Vogue, 19 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Founded in 2023, Podium is a relatively new kid on the block in the world of coffee subs.
    — Alaina Chou, Bon Appetit Magazine, 16 Oct. 2026
  • And YouTube has 250 kids channels with over 10 million subs and a 300,000 hour total across videos, shorts and livestream of which 80% are pre-school channels.
    — John Hopewell, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The collection also incorporates diamonds sourced through GemFair, De Beers Group’s initiative supporting artisanal and small-scale miners, reinforcing the company’s efforts to connect provenance with luxury craftsmanship.
    — Thomas Waller, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The lawsuit, filed by Florida lawyer Spencer Kuvin, incorporates much of the findings of the Ethics Committee probe, which was eventually made public.
    — Julie K. Brown, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Alternates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alternates. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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