alternate

adjective

/ɔːlˈtɜːnət/

/ˈɔːltərnət/

[usually before noun]

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(of two things) happening or following one after the other regularly
- alternate layers of fruit and cream
- Stretch up 30 times with alternate arms as a warm-up exercise.
if something happens on alternate days, nights, etc. it happens on one day, etc. but not on the next
- John has to work on alternate Sundays.
- The ferry service will initially run on alternate days, increasing eventually to daily sailings.
Topics Timec1
(especially North American English)
(also alternative British and North American English)
that can be used instead of something else

Word Originearly 16th cent.: from Latin alternat- ‘done by turns’, from alternare, from alternus ‘every other’, from alter ‘other’.

verb

/ˈɔːltəneɪt/

/ˈɔːltərneɪt/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they alternate	/ˈɔːltəneɪt/ /ˈɔːltərneɪt/
he / she / it alternates	/ˈɔːltəneɪts/ /ˈɔːltərneɪts/
past simple alternated	/ˈɔːltəneɪtɪd/ /ˈɔːltərneɪtɪd/
past participle alternated	/ˈɔːltəneɪtɪd/ /ˈɔːltərneɪtɪd/
-ing form alternating	/ˈɔːltəneɪtɪŋ/ /ˈɔːltərneɪtɪŋ/

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[transitive] to make things or people follow one after the other in a repeated pattern
- alternate A and B Alternate cubes of meat and slices of red pepper.
- alternate A with B Alternate cubes of meat with slices of red pepper.
- Her music alternates moments of sudden quiet with moments of dramatic intensity.
[intransitive] (of things or people) to follow one after the other in a repeated pattern
- alternating dark and pale stripes
- alternate with something Dark stripes alternate with pale ones.
[intransitive] alternate between A and B to keep changing from one thing to another and back again
- Her mood alternated between happiness and despair.
- They believed that the earth’s climate alternated between periods of extreme cold and warm.

Word Originearly 16th cent.: from Latin alternat- ‘done by turns’, from alternare, from alternus ‘every other’, from alter ‘other’.

noun

/ˈɔːltɜːnət/

/ˈɔːltərnət/

(North American English)

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