alter

alter is part of the Academic Word List. It is important for students in college and university.

Pronunciation

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Homophones

• altar

Verb

Plain form alter

Third-person singular alters

Past tense altered

Past participle altered

Present participle altering

1. (transitive & intransitive) If you alter something, you change it, usually in a small way.

   The design can be easily altered by selecting new colours, materials, etc.

   But not even a good cleaning would alter the fact that the room was dark and unfriendly.

   Because he was so short, he always needed to have his pants altered to fit him.

Synonyms

• adapt
• adjust
• modify
• revise
• transform
• vary

See also

• alter ego