English Dictionary

ALTER

Pronunciation (US): Play  (GB): Play

IPA (US): 

 Dictionary entry overview: What does alter mean? 

ALTER (verb)
  The verb ALTER has 5 senses:

1. cause to change; make different; cause a transformationplay

2. become different in some particular way, without permanently losing one's or its former characteristics or essenceplay

3. make an alteration toplay

4. insert words into texts, often falsifying it therebyplay

5. remove the ovaries ofplay

  Familiarity information: ALTER used as a verb is common.


 Dictionary entry details 


ALTER (verb)

 Conjugation: 
Present simple: I / you / we / they alter  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation ... he / she / it alters  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation
Past simple: altered  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation
Past participle: altered  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation
-ing form: altering  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation


Sense 1

Meaning:

Cause to change; make different; cause a transformation

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

alter; change; modify

Context example:

The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue

Cause:

change (undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "alter"):

arouse; awaken; rouse; wake; wake up; waken (cause to become awake or conscious)

cause to sleep (make fall asleep)

affect (act physically on; have an effect upon)

freshen; refresh; refreshen (make fresh again)

fecundate; fertilise; fertilize; inseminate (introduce semen into (a female))

indispose (cause to feel unwell)

cry (bring into a particular state by crying)

etiolate (make pale or sickly)

shade (vary slightly)

animalise; animalize; brutalise; brutalize (make brutal, unfeeling, or inhuman)

convert (change the nature, purpose, or function of something)

opalise; opalize (make opalescent)

arterialise; arterialize (change venous blood into arterial blood)

get; make (give certain properties to something)

counterchange; interchange; transpose (cause to change places)

vascularise; vascularize (make vascular)

decrepitate (to roast or calcine so as to cause to crackle or until crackling stops)

suburbanise; suburbanize (make suburban in character)

overturn; revolutionise; revolutionize (change radically)

etiolate (bleach and alter the natural development of (a green plant) by excluding sunlight)

barbarise; barbarize (make crude or savage in behavior or speech)

alkalinise; alkalinize (make (a substance) alkaline)

mythicise; mythicize; mythologise; mythologize (make into a myth)

allegorise; allegorize (make into an allegory)

demythologise; demythologize (remove the mythical element from (writings))

bring; land (bring into a different state)

coarsen (make less subtle or refined)

affect; bear on; bear upon; impact; touch; touch on (have an effect upon)

alchemise; alchemize (alter (elements) by alchemy)

alcoholise; alcoholize (make alcoholic, as by fermenting)

form; shape (give shape or form to)

round; round down; round off; round out (express as a round number)

suspend (cause to be held in suspension in a fluid)

sober (cause to become sober)

reconstruct (cause somebody to adapt or reform socially or politically)

increase (make bigger or more)

ease off; ease up; let up (reduce pressure or intensity)

assimilate (make similar)

dissimilate (make dissimilar; cause to become less similar)

commute; convert; exchange (exchange a penalty for a less severe one)

vitalise; vitalize (give life to)

clear; unclutter (rid of obstructions)

activate (make active or more active)

activate (make (substances) radioactive)

activate; aerate (aerate (sewage) so as to favor the growth of organisms that decompose organic matter)

activate (make more adsorptive)

deactivate; inactivate (make inactive)

blunt; deaden (make less lively, intense, or vigorous; impair in vigor, force, activity, or sensation)

reconstruct; redo; remodel (do over, as of (part of) a house)

edit; redact (prepare for publication or presentation by correcting, revising, or adapting)

cut; edit; edit out (cut and assemble the components of)

chasten; subdue; tame (correct by punishment or discipline)

chasten; temper (change by restraining or moderating)

ameliorate; amend; better; improve; meliorate (to make better)

aggravate; exacerbate; exasperate; worsen (make worse)

wet (cause to become wet)

dry; dry out (remove the moisture from and make dry)

lubricate (make slippery or smooth through the application of a lubricant)

beef up; fortify; strengthen (make strong or stronger)

fortify; lace; spike (add alcohol to (beverages))

weaken (lessen the strength of)

blunt (make less sharp)

oxidate; oxidise; oxidize (add oxygen to or combine with oxygen)

merge; unify; unite (join or combine)

age (make older)

mature; ripen (cause to ripen or develop fully)

antiquate; antique (give an antique appearance to)

antiquate (make obsolete or old-fashioned)

develop; make grow (cause to grow and differentiate in ways conforming to its natural development)

soften (make soft or softer)

damage (inflict damage upon)

ossify (cause to become hard and bony)

acerbate (make sour or bitter)

stabilise; stabilize (make stable and keep from fluctuating or put into an equilibrium)

destabilise; destabilize (make unstable)

sensibilise; sensibilize; sensify; sensitise; sensitize (make sensitive or aware)

desensitise; desensitize (make insensitive)

accustom; habituate (make psychologically or physically used (to something))

disarray; disorder (bring disorder to)

discolor (cause to lose or change color)

color; color in; colorise; colorize; colour; colour in; colourise; colourize (add color to)

stain (produce or leave stains)

hue (take on color or become colored)

uglify (make ugly)

untune (cause to be out of tune)

adjust; correct; set (alter or regulate so as to achieve accuracy or conform to a standard)

set (put into a certain state; cause to be in a certain state)

disqualify; indispose; unfit (make unfit or unsuitable)

domesticate; domesticise; domesticize; reclaim; tame (overcome the wildness of; make docile and tractable)

widen (make wider)

dehydrogenate (remove hydrogen from)

hydrogenate (combine or treat with or expose to hydrogen; add hydrogen to the molecule of (an unsaturated organic compound))

oxygenise; oxygenize (change (a compound) by increasing the proportion of the electronegative part; or change (an element or ion) from a lower to a higher positive valence: remove one or more electrons from (an atom, ion, or molecule))

darken (make dark or darker)

brighten; lighten; lighten up (make more cheerful through the use of color)

blear; blur (make dim or indistinct)

bedim; obscure; overcloud (make obscure or unclear)

blot out; hide; obliterate; obscure; veil (make undecipherable or imperceptible by obscuring or concealing)

cook (transform by heating)

slenderise; slenderize (make slender or appear to be slender)

crack (cause to become cracked)

dismiss; dissolve (declare void)

end; terminate (bring to an end or halt)

defog; demist (free from mist)

concentrate; condense; contract (compress or concentrate)

chill; cool; cool down (make cool or cooler)

heat; heat up (make hot or hotter)

warm (make warm or warmer)

boil (bring to, or maintain at, the boiling point)

freeze (cause to freeze)

blister (cause blisters to form on)

change over; shift; switch (make a shift in or exchange of)

transpose (change key)

change over; convert (change from one system to another or to a new plan or policy)

transform (increase or decrease (an alternating current or voltage))

transform (change (a bacterial cell) into a genetically distinct cell by the introduction of DNA from another cell of the same or closely related species)

transform (convert (one form of energy) to another)

transmute (alter the nature of (elements))

transform; transmute; transubstantiate (change or alter in form, appearance, or nature)

ash (convert into ashes)

transform; translate (change from one form or medium into another)

reclaim; rectify; reform; regenerate (bring, lead, or force to abandon a wrong or evil course of life, conduct, and adopt a right one)

convert (cause to adopt a new or different faith)

Islamise; Islamize (cause to conform to Islamic law)

invert; reverse; turn back (turn inside out or upside down)

invert (make an inversion (in a musical composition))

customise; customize (make according to requirements)

individualise; individualize; personalise; personalize (make personal or more personal)

depersonalise; depersonalize; objectify (make impersonal or present as an object)

sharpen (raise the pitch of (musical notes))

drop; flatten (lower the pitch of (musical notes))

disintegrate (cause to undergo fission or lose particles)

magnetise; magnetize (make magnetic)

degauss; demagnetise; demagnetize (make nonmagnetic; take away the magnetic properties (of))

simplify (make simpler or easier or reduce in complexity or extent)

complicate; elaborate; rarify; refine (make more complex, intricate, or richer)

refine (make more precise or increase the discriminatory powers of)

complicate; perplex (make more complicated)

pressurise; pressurize; supercharge (increase the pressure on a gas or liquid)

centralise; centralize; concentrate (make central)

decentralise; decentralize; deconcentrate (make less central)

socialise; socialize (make conform to socialist ideas and philosophies)

fix; gear up; prepare; ready; set; set up (make ready or suitable or equip in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event, etc)

internationalise; internationalize (make international in character)

bolshevise; bolshevize; communise; communize (make Communist or bring in accord with Communist principles)

Europeanise; Europeanize (make (continental) European in customs, character, or ideas)

Europeanise; Europeanize (denationalize and subject (a territory) to the supervision of an agency of a European community of nations)

bestialise; bestialize (make brutal and depraved; give animal-like qualities to)

Americanise; Americanize (make American in character)

Frenchify (make French in appearance or character)

civilise; civilize (raise from a barbaric to a civilized state)

nationalise; nationalize (put under state control or ownership)

denationalise; denationalize (put under private control or ownership)

naturalise; naturalize (make into a citizen)

denaturalise; denaturalize (strip of the rights and duties of citizenship)

naturalise; naturalize (make more natural or lifelike)

denaturalise; denaturalize (make less natural or unnatural)

even; even out (become even or more even)

equal; equalise; equalize; equate; match (make equal, uniform, corresponding, or matching)

stiffen (make stiff or stiffer)

loose; loosen (make loose or looser)

fasten; tighten (make tight or tighter)

transitivise; transitivize (make transitive)

detransitivise; detransitivize; intransitivise; intransitivize (intransitivize)

inspissate; thicken (make thick or thicker)

full (make (a garment) fuller by pleating or gathering)

diversify (make (more) diverse)

decelerate; slow down (reduce the speed of)

deaden (make vapid or deprive of spirit)

accelerate; speed; speed up (cause to move faster)

check; delay; retard (slow the growth or development of)

decrease; lessen; minify (make smaller)

liquefy; liquidise; liquidize; liquify (make (a solid substance) liquid, as by heating)

solvate (cause a solvation in (a substance))

dissolve (cause to fade away)

validate (make valid or confirm the validity of)

invalidate; vitiate; void (take away the legal force of or render ineffective)

empty (make void or empty of contents)

fill; fill up; make full (make full, also in a metaphorical sense)

saturate (cause (a chemical compound, vapour, solution, magnetic material) to unite with the greatest possible amount of another substance)

clot; coagulate (cause to change from a liquid to a solid or thickened state)

louden (cause to become loud)

normalise; normalize; renormalise; renormalize (make normal or cause to conform to a norm or standard)

morph (cause to change shape in a computer animation)

neutralise; neutralize (make chemically neutral)

commercialise; commercialize; market (make commercial)

purge; purify; sanctify (make pure or free from sin or guilt)

mechanise; mechanize (make mechanical)

automate; automatise; automatize (make automatic or control or operate automatically)

automatise; automatize (turn into an automaton)

mechanise; mechanize (make monotonous; make automatic or routine)

chord; harmonise; harmonize (bring into consonance, harmony, or accord while making music or singing)

polarise; polarize (cause to vibrate in a definite pattern)

glorify (bestow glory upon)

contaminate (make radioactive by adding radioactive material)

devalue (lower the value or quality of)

insulate (protect from heat, cold, or noise by surrounding with insulating material)

calcify (convert into lime)

urbanise; urbanize (make more industrial or city-like)

urbanise; urbanize (impart urban habits, ways of life, or responsibilities upon)

emulsify (cause to become an emulsion; make into an emulsion)

demulsify (cause to demulsify)

decarboxylate (remove a carboxyl group from (a chemical compound))

nazify (cause or force to adopt Nazism or a Nazi character)

fecundate; fertilise; fertilize (make fertile or productive)

clarify (make clear by removing impurities or solids, as by heating)

embrittle (make brittle)

mark (make or leave a mark on)

nick (divide or reset the tail muscles of)

disable; disenable; incapacitate (make unable to perform a certain action)

enable (render capable or able for some task)

de-emphasise; de-emphasize; destress (reduce the emphasis)

tender; tenderise; tenderize (make tender or more tender as by marinating, pounding, or applying a tenderizer)

charge (cause formation of a net electrical charge in or on)

bubble (cause to form bubbles)

sweeten (make sweeter, more pleasant, or more agreeable)

iodinate (cause to combine with iodine)

ionate (add ions to)

archaise; archaize (give an archaic appearance of character to)

inform (give character or essence to)

officialise; officialize (make official)

occidentalise; occidentalize; westernise; westernize (make western in character)

orientalise; orientalize (make oriental in character)

acetylate; acetylise; acetylize (introduce an acetyl group into (a chemical compound))

achromatise; achromatize (remove color from)

collimate; parallel (make or place parallel to something)

camp (give an artificially banal or sexual quality to)

classicise; classicize (make classic or classical)

conventionalise; conventionalize (make conventional or adapt to conventions)

decimalise; decimalize (change from fractions to decimals)

dizzy (make dizzy or giddy)

envenom; poison (add poison to)

exteriorise; exteriorize; externalise; externalize; objectify (make external or objective, or give reality to)

glamorise; glamorize; glamourise; glamourize (make glamorous and attractive)

introvert (turn inside)

laicise; laicize (reduce to lay status)

politicise; politicize (give a political character to)

radicalize (make more radical in social or political outlook)

proof (activate by mixing with water and sometimes sugar or milk)

romanticise; romanticize (make romantic in style)

rusticate (lend a rustic character to)

sauce (add zest or flavor to, make more interesting)

shallow; shoal (make shallow)

tense (increase the tension on)

steepen (make steeper)

scramble (make unintelligible)

unscramble (make intelligible)

unsex (remove the qualities typical of one's sex)

vitrify (change into glass or a glass-like substance by applying heat)

pall (cause to become flat)

saponify (convert into soap by hydrolizing an ester into an acid and alcohol as a result of treating it with an alkali)

expand; extend (expand the influence of)

set aside; suspend (make inoperative or stop)

muddy (make turbid)

transform (subject to a mathematical transformation)

elevate; lift; raise (raise in rank or condition)

harshen (make harsh or harsher)

dinge (make dingy)

demonise; demonize (make into a demon)

devilise; devilize; diabolise; diabolize (turn into a devil or make devilish)

etherealize; etherialise (make ethereal)

immaterialise; immaterialize; unsubstantialise; unsubstantialize (render immaterial or incorporeal)

animate; animise; animize (give lifelike qualities to)

clear (make clear, bright, light, or translucent)

dynamise; dynamize (make (a drug) effective)

dynamise; dynamize (make more dynamic)

rarefy; sublimate; subtilize (make more subtle or refined)

volatilise; volatilize (make volatile; cause to pass off in a vapor)

uniformise; uniformize (make uniform)

symmetrise; symmetrize (make symmetric)

eternalise; eternalize; eternise; eternize; immortalise; immortalize (make famous forever)

denature (make (alcohol) unfit for drinking without impairing usefulness for other purposes)

denature (modify (as a native protein) especially by heat, acid, alkali, or ultraviolet radiation so that all of the original properties are removed or diminished)

denature (add nonfissionable material to (fissionable material) so as to make unsuitable for use in an atomic bomb)

sanitise; sanitize (make less offensive or more acceptable by removing objectionable features)

verbify (make into a verb)

shift (move from one setting or context to another)

sputter (cause to undergo a process in which atoms are removed)

draw (bring or lead someone to a certain action or condition)

make (change from one form into another)

dope (add impurities to (a semiconductor) in order to produce or modify its properties)

prostrate (render helpless or defenseless)

excite (produce a magnetic field in)

energise; energize; excite (raise to a higher energy level)

shake (bring to a specified condition by or as if by shaking)

outmode (make unfashionable, outdated, or obsolete)

spice; spice up (make more interesting or flavorful)

shorten (make short or shorter)

think (bring into a given condition by mental preoccupation)

make (cause to be enjoyable or pleasurable)

deflate (produce deflation in)

inflate (cause prices to rise by increasing the available currency or credit)

reflate (economics: raise demand, expand the money supply, or raise prices, after a period of deflation)

digitalise; digitalize; digitise; digitize (put into digital form, as for use in a computer)

gelatinise; gelatinize (convert into gelatinous form or jelly)

recombine (cause genetic recombination)

effeminise; effeminize; feminise; feminize; womanize (to give a (more) feminine, effeminate, or womanly quality or appearance to)

masculinise; masculinize; virilise; virilize (produce virilism in or cause to assume masculine characteristics, as through a hormonal imbalance or hormone therapy)

masculinize (give a masculine appearance or character to)

disharmonize; dissonate (cause to sound harsh and unpleasant)

sexualise; sexualize (make sexual, endow with sex, attribute sex to)

schematise; schematize (give conventional form to)

patent (make open to sight or notice)

constitutionalise; constitutionalize (incorporate into a constitution, make constitutional)

rationalise; rationalize (remove irrational quantities from)

plasticise; plasticize (make plastic, as by the addition of a plasticizer)

rarefy (lessen the density or solidity of)

paganise; paganize (make pagan in character)

incandesce (cause to become incandescent or glow)

deaminate; deaminize (remove the amino radical (usually by hydrolysis) from an amino compound; to perform deamination)

angulate (make or become angular)

circularize (make circular)

sensitise; sensitize (make (a material) sensitive to light, often of a particular colour, by coating it with a photographic emulsion)

sensitise; sensitize (make sensitive to a drug or allergen)

depolarise; depolarize (eliminate the polarization of)

intensify (make the chemically affected part of (a negative) denser or more opaque in order produce a stronger contrast between light and dark)

isomerise; isomerize (cause to change into an isomer)

legitimate (make (an illegitimate child) legitimate; declare the legitimacy of (someone))

evaporate; vaporise (cause to change into a vapor)

industrialise; industrialize (organize (the production of something) into an industry)

opacify (make opaque)

opsonize (make (cells) more susceptible to the action of phagocytes)

militarise; militarize (adopt for military use)

nationalise; nationalize (make national in character or scope)

recommend (make attractive or acceptable)

sentimentalise; sentimentalize (make (someone or something) sentimental or imbue with sentimental qualities)

solemnise; solemnize (make solemn and grave)

territorialise; territorialize (place on a territorial basis)

transaminate (change (an amino group) by transferring it from one compound to another)

glorify; spiritualize; transfigure (elevate or idealize, in allusion to Christ's transfiguration)

unsanctify (remove the sanctification from or make unsanctified)

vesiculate (cause to become vesicular or full of air cells)

visualise; visualize (make visible)

variegate (change the appearance of, especially by marking with different colors)

ventilate (furnish with an opening to allow air to circulate or gas to escape)

vivify (make more striking or animated)

vulgarise; vulgarize (debase and make vulgar)

supple (make pliant and flexible)

professionalise; professionalize (make professional or give a professional character to)

smut (make obscene)

still (make motionless)

weaponize (make into or use as a weapon or a potential weapon)

eroticize; sex up (give erotic character to or make more interesting)

piggyback (bring into alignment with)

port (modify (software) for use on a different machine or platform)

lifehack (make one's day-to-day activities more efficient)

cloud (make less clear)

blur; confuse; obnubilate; obscure (make unclear, indistinct, or blurred)

moderate; tame; tone down (make less strong or intense; soften)

obfuscate (make obscure or unclear)

synchronise; synchronize (make (motion picture sound) exactly simultaneous with the action)

mince; moderate; soften (make less severe or harsh)

militarise; militarize (lend a military character to (a country), as by building up a military force)

break down; crush (make ineffective)

fat; fatten; fatten out; fatten up; fill out; flesh out; plump; plump out (make fat or plump)

disturb; touch (tamper with)

dull (make dull in appearance)

blunt; dull (make dull or blunt)

sharpen (make sharp or sharper)

coarsen (make or become coarse or coarser)

loosen (make less dense)

loosen; undo; untie (cause to become loose)

barb (provide with barbs)

string (provide with strings)

straighten; straighten out (make straight)

bring (cause to come into a particular state or condition)

amalgamate; commix; mingle; mix; unify (to bring or combine together or with something else)

charge (fill or load to capacity)

put (cause to be in a certain state; cause to be in a certain relation)

clean; make clean (make clean by removing dirt, filth, or unwanted substances from)

begrime; bemire; colly; dirty; grime; soil (make soiled, filthy, or dirty)

depress; lower (cause to drop or sink)

deform (make formless)

break; break up (destroy the completeness of a set of related items)

alter (make an alteration to)

adorn; beautify; decorate; embellish; grace; ornament (make more attractive by adding ornament, colour, etc.)

humanise; humanize (make more humane)

humble (cause to be unpretentious)

alienate; disaffect; estrange (arouse hostility or indifference in where there had formerly been love, affection, or friendliness)

right (put in or restore to an upright position)

desensitise; desensitize (cause not to be sensitive)

deodorise; deodorize; deodourise (eliminate the odor from)

develop (make visible by means of chemical solutions)

blur (to make less distinct or clear)

blind (make blind by putting the eyes out)

change intensity (increase or decrease in intensity)

change taste (alter the flavor of)

exchange; interchange; replace; substitute (put in the place of another; switch seemingly equivalent items)

capture (bring about the capture of an elementary particle or celestial body and causing it enter a new orbit)

add; bestow; bring; contribute; impart; lend (bestow a quality on)

reestablish; reinstate; restore (bring back into original existence, use, function, or position)

liberalise; liberalize (make liberal or more liberal, of laws and rules)

compensate; correct; redress; right (make reparations or amends for)

democratise; democratize (introduce democratic reforms; of nations)

neutralize (make politically neutral and thus inoffensive)

corrupt; debase; debauch; demoralise; demoralize; deprave; misdirect; pervert; profane; subvert; vitiate (corrupt morally or by intemperance or sensuality)

loosen; relax (make less severe or strict)

unify; unite (bring together for a common purpose or action or ideology or in a shared situation)

flocculate (cause to become a fluffy or lumpy aggregate)

turn (cause to change or turn into something different;assume new characteristics)

cohere (cause to form a united, orderly, and aesthetically consistent whole)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Derivation:

alterable (capable of being changed or altered in some characteristic)

alteration (the act of making something different (as e.g. the size of a garment))

alteration (an event that occurs when something passes from one state or phase to another)


Sense 2

Meaning:

Become different in some particular way, without permanently losing one's or its former characteristics or essence

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

alter; change; vary

Context example:

The supermarket's selection of vegetables varies according to the season

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "alter"):

alternate; jump (go back and forth; swing back and forth between two states or conditions)

crackle (to become, or to cause to become, covered with a network of small cracks)

modulate (vary the frequency, amplitude, phase, or other characteristic of (electromagnetic waves))

avianise; avianize (to modify microorganisms by repeated culture in the developing chick embryo)

move (go or proceed from one point to another)

accommodate; adapt (make fit for, or change to suit a new purpose)

let out; widen (make (clothes) larger)

take in (make (clothes) smaller)

branch out; broaden; diversify (vary in order to spread risk or to expand)

diversify; radiate (spread into new habitats and produce variety or variegate)

narrow; narrow down; specialise; specialize (become more focused on an area of activity or field of study)

honeycomb (make full of cavities, like a honeycomb)

break (vary or interrupt a uniformity or continuity)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s


Sense 3

Meaning:

Make an alteration to

Classified under:

Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing

Context example:

This dress needs to be altered

Hypernyms (to "alter" is one way to...):

alter; change; modify (cause to change; make different; cause a transformation)

"Alter" entails doing...:

sew; tailor; tailor-make (create (clothes) with cloth)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sentence example:

They alter the cape

Derivation:

alterable (capable of being changed or altered in some characteristic)

alteration (the act of making something different (as e.g. the size of a garment))


Sense 4

Meaning:

Insert words into texts, often falsifying it thereby

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

alter; falsify; interpolate

Hypernyms (to "alter" is one way to...):

edit; redact (prepare for publication or presentation by correcting, revising, or adapting)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something


Sense 5

Meaning:

Remove the ovaries of

Classified under:

Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

Synonyms:

alter; castrate; neuter; spay

Context example:

Is your cat spayed?

Hypernyms (to "alter" is one way to...):

desex; desexualise; desexualize; fix; sterilise; sterilize; unsex (make infertile)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "alter"):

defeminise; defeminize (remove the ovaries of (female mammals such as cats))

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody


 Context examples 


Only now are scientists realising that transposons are not junk at all but actually play an important role in the evolutionary process, and in altering gene expression and the physical characteristics of plants.

(Harnessing tomato jumping genes could help speed-breed drought-resistant crops, University of Cambridge)

“And this is exactly what had been altered in the patients when they had the virus and showed a complicated state.”

(Zika virus found to harm adults’ memory and motor system, Agência Brasil/EBC)

Researchers from Stanford University found that oral antibiotics, which can kill gut microorganisms, can alter the human immune response to seasonal influenza vaccination.

(Disrupting the gut microbiome may affect some immune responses to flu vaccination, National Institutes of Health)

The study investigated how microbes alter the flow of carbon in subduction zones.

(Major deep carbon sink linked to microbes at volcanic island chains, National Science Foundation)

A research team wondered whether chemicals that disrupt this mucus barrier might alter the gut microbiota and play a role in disorders associated with inflammation, including inflammatory bowel disease and metabolic syndrome.

(Food Additives Alter Gut Microbes, Cause Diseases in Mice, NIH)

The genetically-altered mice faltered on tasks requiring navigation of a maze to receive a reward.

(Schizophrenia risk gene linked to cognitive deficits in mice, National Institutes of Health)

This change can alter the amino acid added to the encoded protein.

(Researchers discover new autoinflammatory disease and uncover its biological cause, National Institutes of Health)

This rapid warming has altered a major mode of the weather system called the Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO).

(Global disasters linked to warming Indo-Pacific seas, SciDev.Net)

Animals that evolved in environments subject to large-scale habitat-altering events such as fires and storms are better equipped to handle forest fragmentation caused by human development than species in low-disturbance environments.

(Forest fragmentation hits wildlife hardest in the tropics, National Science Foundation)

The researchers observed a significantly altered eating behavior in overweight animals.

(German scientists find potential treatment for obesity, Agência Brasil)



 Learn English with... Proverbs 
"Think before you speak." (English proverb)

"If the thought is good, your place and path are good; if the thought is bad, your place and path are bad." (Bhutanese proverb)

"Who does not go with you, go with him." (Arabic proverb)

"Leave the spool to the artisan." (Corsican proverb)



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