alternate Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun someone who takes the place of another person
    replacement; surrogate.
  2. verb go back and forth; swing back and forth between two states or conditions
    jump.
  3. verb exchange people temporarily to fulfill certain jobs and functions
  4. verb be an understudy or alternate for a role
    understudy.
  5. verb reverse (a direction, attitude, or course of action)
    interchange; flip; switch; tack; flip-flop.
  6. verb do something in turns
    take turns.
    • We take turns on the night shift
  7. adjective satellite every second one of a series
    • the cleaning lady comes on alternate Wednesdays
    • jam every other day"- the White Queen
  8. adjective satellite serving or used in place of another
    alternative; substitute.
    • an alternative plan
  9. adjective satellite occurring by turns; first one and then the other
    alternating.
    • alternating feelings of love and hate
  10. adjective of leaves and branches etc; first on one side and then on the other in two ranks along an axis; not paired
    • stems with alternate leaves

WordNet

Al*ter"nate adjective
Etymology
L. alternatus, p. p. of alternate, fr. alternus. See Altern, Alter.
Definitions
  1. Being or succeeding by turns; one following the other in succession of time or place; by turns first one and then the other; hence, reciprocal.
    And bid alternate passions fall and rise. Pope.
  2. Designating the members in a series, which regularly intervene between the members of another series, as the odd or even numbers of the numerals; every other; every second; as, the alternate members 1, 3, 5, 7, etc. ; read every alternate line.
  3. (Bot.) Distributed, as leaves, singly at different heights of the stem, and at equal intervals as respects angular divergence. Gray.
Al*ter"nate noun
Definitions
  1. That which alternates with something else; vicissitude. R.
    Grateful alternates of substantial. Prior.
  2. A substitute; one designated to take the place of another, if necessary, in performing some duty.
  3. (Math.) A proportion derived from another proportion by interchanging the means.
Al"ter*nate transitive verb
Etymology
L. alternatus, p. p. of alternare. See Altern.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Alternated; present participle & verbal noun Alternating
Definitions
  1. To perform by turns, or in succession; to cause to succeed by turns; to interchange regularly.
    The most high God, in all things appertaining unto this life, for sundry wise ends alternates the disposition of good and evil. Grew.
Al"ter*nate intransitive verb
Definitions
  1. To happen, succeed, or act by turns; to follow reciprocally in place or time; -- followed by with; as, the flood and ebb tides alternate with each other.
    Rage, shame, and grief alternate in his breast. J. Philips.
    Different species alternating with each other. Kirwan.
  2. To vary by turns; as, the land alternates between rocky hills and sandy plains.

Webster 1913