Library / English Dictionary

ALTERNATE

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Someone who takes the place of another person

Synonyms:

alternate; replacement; surrogate

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Hypernyms ("alternate" is a kind of...):

backup; backup man; fill-in; relief; reliever; stand-in; substitute (someone who takes the place of another (as when things get dangerous or difficult))

Derivation:

alternate (be an understudy or alternate for a role)

alternate (exchange people temporarily to fulfill certain jobs and functions)

alternate (serving or used in place of another)

 II. (adjective) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Occurring by turns; first one and then the other

Example:

alternating feelings of love and hate

Synonyms:

alternate; alternating

Classified under:

Adjectives

Similar:

cyclic; cyclical (recurring in cycles)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Every second one of a series

Example:

jam every other day

Classified under:

Adjectives

Similar:

cyclic; cyclical (recurring in cycles)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Of leaves and branches etc; first on one side and then on the other in two ranks along an axis; not paired

Example:

stems with alternate leaves

Classified under:

Adjectives

Domain category:

botany; phytology (the branch of biology that studies plants)

Antonym:

opposite (of leaves etc; growing in pairs on either side of a stem)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Serving or used in place of another

Example:

an alternative plan

Synonyms:

alternate; alternative; substitute

Classified under:

Adjectives

Similar:

secondary (being of second rank or importance or value; not direct or immediate)

Derivation:

alternate (someone who takes the place of another person)

 III. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Do something in turns

Example:

We take turns on the night shift

Synonyms:

alternate; take turns

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

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

act; move (perform an action, or work out or perform (an action))

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

spell (take turns working)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Derivation:

alternation (successive change from one thing or state to another and back again)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Go back and forth; swing back and forth between two states or conditions

Synonyms:

alternate; jump

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

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

alter; change; vary (become different in some particular way, without permanently losing one's or its former characteristics or essence)

Sentence frames:

Something is ----ing PP
Somebody ----s PP

Derivation:

alternation (successive change from one thing or state to another and back again)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Reverse (a direction, attitude, or course of action)

Synonyms:

alternate; flip; flip-flop; interchange; switch; tack

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

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

change by reversal; reverse; turn (change to the contrary)

Sentence frames:

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

Sense 4

Meaning:

Be an understudy or alternate for a role

Synonyms:

alternate; understudy

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

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

con; learn; memorise; memorize (commit to memory; learn by heart)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Derivation:

alternate (someone who takes the place of another person)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Exchange people temporarily to fulfill certain jobs and functions

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

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

exchange (hand over one and receive another, approximately equivalent)

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

rotate (exchange on a regular basis)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

alternate (someone who takes the place of another person)

Credits

 Context examples: 

Encoded as ten alternate splicing variant isoforms by human BIN1 Gene, ubiquitously expressed nucleocytoplasmic adaptor protein Bridging Integrator 1 exhibits differential binding to dynamin, synaptojanin (via sh3 domain), alpha-adaptin, endophilin, clathrin, and MYC protein.

(Bridging Integrator 1, NCI Thesaurus)

Jane ran to her uncle and aunt, and welcomed and thanked them both, with alternate smiles and tears.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)

In the alternate pathway, TAK1 also activates NF-kB through a Map kinase pathway, activating p38 and NF-kB in a nuclear translocation independent manner.

(NFKB Activation Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

Two transcripts, resulting from the use of alternate polyadenylation signals, have been identified for this gene.

(Collagen I (Alpha 1), NCI Thesaurus/LocusLink)

There are 6 alternate transcripts unique to this gene and alternate splicing is restricted to the 6 exons encoding this domain.

(Collagen IV (Alpha 3), NCI Thesaurus)

An electrical device that converts direct current to alternating current.

(Inverter Device Component, NCI Thesaurus)

A rare histological variant of glioblastoma (WHO grade IV) characterized by a biphasic tissue pattern with alternating areas displaying glial and mesenchymal differentiation (WHO).

(Gliosarcoma, NCI Thesaurus)

This uniformly alternating intensity of such a test object can be used to visually assess the resolution of an imaging device.

(Line Pair, NCI Thesaurus)

A regimen comprised of an initial induction regimen, followed by three different consolidation regimens, given on alternating schedule and used for the treatment of adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

(Linker Regimen, NCI Thesaurus)

It is characterized by the presence of alternating bands of mature adipose tissue and spindle-cell fibrous tissue, without destruction of the adipose tissue architecture.

(Lipofibromatosis, NCI Thesaurus)