Definitions for: Alter


[v] remove the ovaries of; "Is your cat spayed?"
[v] make or become different in some particular way, without permanently losing one's or its former characteristics or essence; "her mood changes in accordance with the weather"; "The supermarket's selection of vegetables varies according to the season"
[v] cause to change; make different; cause a transformation; "The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue"
[v] insert words into texts, often falsifying it thereby
[v] make an alteration to; "This dress needs to be altered"



Webster (1913) Definition: Al"ter, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Altered; p. pr. & vb. n.
Altering.] [F. alt['e]rer, LL. alterare, fr. L. alter
other, alius other. Cf. Else, Other.]
1. To make otherwise; to change in some respect, either
partially or wholly; to vary; to modify. ``To alter the
king's course.'' ``To alter the condition of a man.'' ``No
power in Venice can alter a decree.'' --Shak.

It gilds all objects, but it alters none. --Pope.

My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing
that is gone out of my lips. --Ps. lxxxix.
34.

2. To agitate; to affect mentally. [Obs.] --Milton.

3. To geld. [Colloq.]

Syn: Change, Alter.

Usage: Change is generic and the stronger term. It may
express a loss of identity, or the substitution of one
thing in place of another; alter commonly expresses a
partial change, or a change in form or details without
destroying identity.


Al"ter, v. i.
To become, in some respects, different; to vary; to change;
as, the weather alters almost daily; rocks or minerals alter
by exposure. ``The law of the Medes and Persians, which
altereth not.'' --Dan. vi. 8.

Synonyms: castrate, change, falsify, interpolate, neuter, spay, vary

See Also: accommodate, accustom, acerbate, acetylate, acetylise, acetylize, achromatise, achromatize, activate, adapt, add, adorn, aerate, affect, age, aggravate, alchemise, alchemize, alcoholise, alcoholize, alien, alienate, alkalinise, alkalinize, allegorise, allegorize, alter, alter, alternate, amalgamate, ameliorate, amend, Americanise, Americanize, anglicise, anglicize, angulate, animalise, animalize, animate, animise, animize, antiquate, antique, archaise, archaize, arouse, arterialise, arterialize, ash, assimilate, automate, automatise, automatize, avianise, avianize, awaken, barb, barbarise, barbarize, bear on, bear upon, beautify, bedim, beef up, begrime, bemire, bestialise, bestialize, bestow, better, blear, blind, blot out, blunt, blur, boil, bolshevise, bolshevize, branch out, break, break down, break up, brighten, bring, broaden, brutalise, brutalize, calcify, camp, capture, cause to sleep, centralise, centralize, change, change intensity, change over, change taste, charge, chasten, check, chill, chord, circularize, civilise, civilize, clarify, classicise, classicize, clean, clear, close, clot, coagulate, coarsen, cohere, collimate, colly, color, color in, colorise, colorize, colour, colour in, colourise, colourize, commercialise, commercialize, commix, communise, communize, commute, compensate, complicate, concentrate, condense, confuse, constitutionalise, constitutionalize, contaminate, contract, contribute, conventionalise, conventionalize, convert, cook, cool, cool down, correct, corrupt, counterchange, crack, crackle, crush, cry, customise, customize, cut, damage, darken, deactivate, deaden, deaminate, deaminize, debase, debauch, decarboxylate, decentralise, decentralize, decimalise, decimalize, deconcentrate, decorate, decrease, decrepitate, de-emphasise, de-emphasize, defeminise, defeminize, deflate, deform, dehydrogenate, delay, demist, democratise, democratize, demonise, demonize, demoralise, demoralize, demulsify, demythologise, demythologize, denationalise, denationalize, denaturalise, denaturalize, denature, deodorize, deodourise, depersonalise, depersonalize, depolarise, depolarize, deprave, depress, desensitise, desensitize, desex, desexualise, desexualize, destabilise, destabilize, destress, detransitivise, detransitivize, devalue, develop, devilise, devilize, diabolise, diabolize, digitalise, digitalize, digitise, digitize, dinge, dirty, disable, disaffect, disarray, discolor, disenable, disintegrate, disorder, disqualify, dissimilate, dissonate, disturb, diversify, dizzy, domesticate, domesticise, domesticize, dope, draw, drop, dry, dry out, dull, dynamise, dynamize, edit, edit out, effeminize, elaborate, elevate, embellish, empty, emulsify, enable, end, energise, energize, envenom, equal, equalise, equalize, equate, erreminise, estrange, eternalise, eternalize, eternise, eternize, etherealize, etherialise, etiolate, Europeanise, Europeanize, evaporate, even, even out, exacerbate, exasperate, exchange, excite, expand, extend, exteriorise, exteriorize, externalise, externalize, familiarise, familiarize, fasten, fat, fatten, fatten out, fatten up, fecundate, feminise, feminize, fertilise, fertilize, fill, fill out, fill up, fix, flatten, flesh out, form, fortify, freeze, Frenchify, freshen, full, gear up, gelatinise, gelatinize, get, glamorise, glamorize, glamourise, glamourize, glorify, grace, grime, habituate, harmonise, harmonize, harshen, heat, heat up, hide, honeycomb, hue, humanise, humanize, humble, hydrogenate, immaterialise, immaterialize, immortalise, immortalize, impact, impart, improve, inactivate, incandesce, incapacitate, increase, indispose, individualise, individualize, industrialise, industrialize, inflate, inform, inseminate, inspissate, insulate, intensify, interchange, internationalise, internationalize, intransitivise, intransitivize, introvert, invalidate, invert, iodinate, ionate, isomerise, isomerize, jump, lace, laicise, laicize, land, legitimate, lend, lessen, let out, liberalise, liberalize, lift, lighten, lighten up, liquefy, liquidise, liquidize, liquify, loose, loosen, louden, lower, lubricate, magnetise, magnetize, make, make clean, make full, make grow, make possible, mark, market, masculinise, masculinize, match, mature, mechanise, mechanize, meliorate, merge, militarise, militarize, mince, mingle, minify, misdirect, mix, moderate, modulate, morph, move, muddy, mythicise, mythicize, mythologise, mythologize, narrow, narrow down, nationalise, nationalize, naturalise, naturalize, Nazify, neutralise, neutralize, nick, normalise, normalize, obfuscate, objectify, obliterate, obscure, occidentalise, occidentalize, officialise, officialize, opacify, opalise, opalize, opsonize, orientalise, orientalize, ornament, ossify, outmode, overcloud, overturn, oxidate, oxidise, oxidize, oxygenise, oxygenize, paganise, paganize, pall, parallel, patent, perplex, personalise, personalize, pervert, plasticise, plasticize, plump, plump out, poison, polarise, polarize, politicise, politicize, prepare, pressurise, pressurize, profane, proof, prostrate, purge, purify, put, radiate, raise, rarefy, rarify, rationalise, rationalize, ready, reclaim, recombine, recommend, reconstruct, rectify, redact, redo, redress, reestablish, refine, reflate, reform, refresh, refreshen, regenerate, reinstate, relax, remodel, renormalise, renormalize, restore, retard, reverse, revolutionise, revolutionize, right, ripen, romanticise, romanticize, round, round down, round off, round out, rouse, rusticate, sanctify, sanitise, sanitize, saponify, saturate, sauce, schematise, schematize, scramble, sensibilise, sensibilize, sensify, sensitise, sensitize, sentimentalise, sentimentalize, set, set aside, set up, sew, sexualise, sexualize, shake, shallow, shape, sharpen, shift, shoal, shorten, simplify, slenderise, slenderize, sober, socialise, socialize, soften, soil, solemnise, solemnize, solvate, specialise, specialize, spice, spice up, spike, spiritualize, sputter, stabilise, stabilize, stain, steepen, sterilise, sterilize, stiffen, straighten, straighten out, strengthen, string, subdue, sublimate, subtilize, suburbanise, suburbanize, subvert, supercharge, supple, suspend, sweeten, switch, symmetrise, symmetrize, synchronise, synchronize, tailor, tailor-make, take in, tame, temper, tender, tenderise, tenderize, tense, terminate, territorialise, territorialize, thicken, think, tighten, tone down, touch, touch on, transaminate, transfigure, transform, transitivise, transitivize, translate, transmute, transpose, transubstantiate, turn, uglify, unclutter, undo, unfit, uniformise, uniformize, unify, unite, unsanctify, unscramble, unsex, unsex, unsubstantialise, unsubstantialize, untie, urbanise, urbanize, validate, vaporise, vaporize, variegate, vascularise, vascularize, ventilate, verbify, vesiculate, virilise, virilize, visualise, visualize, vitalise, vitalize, vitiate, vitrify, vivify, void, volatilise, volatilize, vulgarise, vulgarize, wake, wake up, waken, warm, weaken, westernise, westernize, wet, widen, womanize, worsen, zest

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