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as in to fix
to remove the sex organs of contends that cats and dogs that have been altered make better pets

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

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

Some common synonyms of alter are change, modify, and vary. While all these words mean "to make or become different," alter implies a difference in some particular respect without suggesting loss of identity.

slightly altered the original design

When is it sensible to use change instead of alter?

In some situations, the words change and alter are roughly equivalent. However, 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

In what contexts can modify take the place of alter?

The synonyms modify and alter 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

When might vary be a better fit than alter?

Although the words vary and alter have much in common, 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 alter Becoming disabled radically altered her life in ways that are both challenging and empowering. Brittney Melton, NPR, 2 June 2025 Familiarity with those three helped Kirk learn when his pitchers’ offerings are especially locked and when he’s got to alter the plan. Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 2 June 2025 What begins as a family reunion turns into a disturbing chain of events that alters the balance between the world of the living and the dead, infecting an entire neighborhood with voices from beyond. Jamie Lang, Variety, 2 June 2025 Police learned Massey had been inside the home before the raid and altered and deleted evidence on his sister’s phone. Jack Brook, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for alter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for alter
Verb
  • The order not only modifies key elements of Biden’s January 2025 framework but also signals a broader realignment of federal cybersecurity priorities.
    Emil Sayegh, Forbes.com, 7 June 2025
  • Box frames are less common and usually require your boat’s speaker holes to be modified to fit them.
    BestReviews, Mercury News, 6 June 2025
Verb
  • As of now, the issue has mostly been fixed, though not entirely.
    Tyler Foggatt, New Yorker, 8 June 2025
  • Keep in mind that bush-type beans and peas generally don't need support, but pole beans require trellises or cages for their vining stems. Lupines: Many growers don't realize that lupines belong to the legume family and can also benefit neighboring plants with their nitrogen fixing roots.
    Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 June 2025
Verb
  • The real question is whether their presence changes the fundamental nature of what these events represent.
    Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 10 June 2025
  • For 100 years, HEC has demonstrated that leaders who understand this truth can change the world—one relationship, one gesture, one act of care at a time.
    Laurel Donnellan, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025
Verb
  • It was remodeled by its subsequent owners—the brothers who owned the F. W. Woolworth Company—in the style of Versailles, an over-the-top gesture that from a twenty-first-century vantage point looks quintessentially nouveau riche, and quintessentially New Jersey.
    Hazlitt, Hazlitt, 11 June 2025
  • The home design cable network bought the house to remodel and give to a lucky viewer.
    Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 28 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Alter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alter. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on alter

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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