Thesaurus: alternate

Related headwords

Definitions

1. a. Being or succeeding by turns; one following the other in succession of time or place; by turns first one and then the other; hence, reciprocal.
2. a. Designating the members in a series, which regularly intervene between the members of another series, as the odd or even numbers of the numerals; every other; every second; as, the alternate members 1, 3, 5, 7, etc. ; read every alternate line.
3. a. Distributed, as leaves, singly at different heights of the stem, and at equal intervals as respects angular divergence.
4. n. That which alternates with something else; vicissitude.
5. n. A substitute; one designated to take the place of another, if necessary, in performing some duty.
6. n. A proportion derived from another proportion by interchanging the means.
7. v. t. To perform by turns, or in succession; to cause to succeed by turns; to interchange regularly.
8. v. i. To happen, succeed, or act by turns; to follow reciprocally in place or time; -- followed by with; as, the flood and ebb tides alternate with each other.
9. v. i. To vary by turns; as, the land alternates between rocky hills and sandy plains.
10. adj. every second one of a series
11. adj. serving or used in place of another
12. adj. occurring by turns; first one and then the other