alternate

adjective
UK: /ɔːlˈtɜːnət/
US: /ɑːlˈtɝːnət/

  1. Happening or appearing in turns; every other.

    1. We meet on alternate Fridays for lunch. [ ] [ ]
    2. She works alternate weekends, so she has some time off. [ ] [ ]

  2. Being a choice between two or more things.

    1. Do you have an alternate plan if the weather is bad? [ ] [ ]
    2. The road was closed, so we had to find an alternate route. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

alternative substitute replacement interchangeable
alternate verb

  1. To do something in turns.

    1. We alternate cleaning the kitchen. [ ] [ ]
    2. The kids alternate who gets to choose the movie each week. [ ] [ ]

  2. To change from one thing to another repeatedly.

    1. The car seemed to alternate between accelerating and slowing down. [ ] [ ]
    2. The speaker would alternate between English and French during his presentation. [ ] [ ]
alternate noun

  1. A person or thing that takes or can take the place of another.

    1. He is the alternate for the team. [ ] [ ]
    2. We need an alternate in case someone gets sick. [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "alternate" in English means: Happening or appearing in turns; every other., Being a choice between two or more things..

The phonetic transcription of "alternate" is /ɔːlˈtɜːnət/ in British English and /ɑːlˈtɝːnət/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "alternate": alternative, substitute, replacement, interchangeable.

Example usage of "alternate": "We meet on alternate Fridays for lunch.". More examples on the page.