change 1 of 2

noun

Definition of changenext
1
as in alteration
the act, process, or result of making different the positive change in our students' attitude toward people who are somehow different was a long and gradual process

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in fluctuation
the frequent and usually sudden passing from one condition to another there is nothing so constant as change itself

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in money
something (as pieces of stamped metal or printed paper) customarily and legally used as a medium of exchange, a measure of value, or a means of payment she spent quite a chunk of change on that car

Synonyms & Similar Words

change

2 of 2

verb

ˈchānj How to pronounce change (audio)
1
as in to modify
to make different in some way my wife has changed the look of our living room more times than we care to remember

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to vary
to pass from one form, state, or level to another the weather in New England is constantly changing

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to exchange
to give up (something) and take something else in return would you mind changing your seat so my friends can sit together?

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How is the word change different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of change are alter, modify, and vary. While all these words mean "to make or become different," change implies making either an essential difference often amounting to a loss of original identity or a substitution of one thing for another.

changed the shirt for a larger size

When might alter be a better fit than change?

Although the words alter and change have much in common, alter implies a difference in some particular respect without suggesting loss of identity.

slightly altered the original design

When is it sensible to use modify instead of change?

The synonyms modify and change are sometimes interchangeable, but modify suggests a difference that limits, restricts, or adapts to a new purpose.

modified the building for use by the disabled

Where would vary be a reasonable alternative to change?

In some situations, the words vary and change are roughly equivalent. However, vary stresses a breaking away from sameness, duplication, or exact repetition.

vary your daily routine

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 change
Noun
VanAntwerp sees that feeding into the despair many of her generation feel about real change ever happening. — Jacqueline Ganun, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026 Aurora Mayor John Laesch, who also attended the meeting in Batavia, said that the meeting the city had with Batavia included discussion of delaying any changes until Aurora could look at an engineering design for the intersection. — Molly Morrow, Chicago Tribune, 4 Oct. 2026
Verb
That changed recently, when investigators at the Fuwai Hospital in Beijing reported the first randomized trial evaluating transcatheter elimination of the pouch. — Subramaniam C. Krishnan, STAT, 28 Sep. 2026 That could change if the agency is seen as increasingly political. — ABC News, 28 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for change
Recent Examples of Synonyms for change
  1. alteration
  2. fluctuation
  3. money
  4. modify
  5. vary
  6. exchange
  7. difference
  8. oscillation
Noun
  • Cardtoons won because its alteration of the players’ appearances was deemed sufficiently inventive and, through parody, the cards reflected social commentary protected by the First Amendment that outweighed the players’ publicity rights claims.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 29 Sep. 2026
  • This included performing the first-ever lunar-Earth flyby in August 2024, and grabbing a speed boost and trajectory alteration from the second planet from the sun, Venus, a year later in August 2025.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of alteration
Noun
  • Rice University researchers found that the material retains directional spin fluctuations even after conventional magnetic order disappears.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Recent studies have proposed that these fluctuations are not purely random but occur within what is known as a chaotic attractor — a set of possible storm states within which the hurricane can evolve unpredictably.
    — Chanh Kieu, Washington Post, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of fluctuation
Noun
  • The organization, created in 1961 by first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, receives no government funding, and raises money through private donations and sales of retail merchandise.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 5 Oct. 2026
  • With his ring powered up, John flies over and drops off a bag of money as restitution to the waitress Maggie (Hannah Christine Shetler) who lost her family in the Manhunter attack.
    — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of money
Verb
  • It’s been further modified by many factors, from today’s online publishing platforms to new means for assessing and quantifying scientific impact, and the increasingly interdisciplinary and team-based nature of research.
    — Jeffrey S. Flier, STAT, 5 Oct. 2026
  • SoFi reserves the right to modify or terminate this offer at any time for unenrolled participants.
    — Andreina Rodriguez, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of modify
Verb
  • Risks vary with gestational age, a patient's medical history, the procedure performed and the circumstances of the pregnancy.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Murals of a variety of styles continue to adorn buildings, walls and parks in the Sacramento region, with varying degrees of issues and controversy and connections to art, history and community.
    — Tania Azhang, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of vary
Verb
  • During the journey, Choi exchanged text messages with her mother-in-law.
    — Chris Lau, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The gunman vanished into a home while exchanging shots with deputies, and he was later found in one of the bedrooms, officials said.
    — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of exchange
Noun
  • Functional connectivity in the fetal brain develops substantially later in gestation, with measurable differences in brain activity and facial responses to noxious versus innocuous stimulation appearing at approximately 33 weeks.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Three-dimensional light fields could provide a new way to probe these subtle differences because the fields themselves can have chiral, or handed, properties.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of difference
Noun
  • This was because the phase of an oscillation encodes information about how events are structured in time relative to each other.
    — Elise Cutts, Quanta Magazine, 23 Sep. 2026
  • And the disturbing oscillations are a journey from uncertainty to insight, a train ride from introspection to moral resolution.
    — Ben Corn, Christian Science Monitor, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of oscillation

Phrases Containing change

Browse Nearby Words

chandeliers
change
changeability
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Cite this Entry

“Change.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/change. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on change

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about change

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