verb · neutral
alter
UK/ˈɔːltə(r)/US/ˈɔːltər/AL·ter
to change something, usually slightly or partially
Examples
“The tailor altered the dress to fit her better.”
“They altered the timetable to avoid peak-hour traffic.”
“The committee altered its recommendation after seeing the new evidence.”
Band 8 sentence
“Although the committee altered the proposal in minor ways, the overall strategy remained unchanged.”
Collocations
- alter significantly
- alter the appearance
- make an alteration
Word family
Common mistakes
He alter the plan yesterday.→He altered the plan yesterday.
She wants to alter on the document.→She wants to alter the document.
I will alter it little.→I will alter it a little.
Say it for a higher band
5change→6modify→7+alter
Synonyms
modify
change
Easily confused
change
“The company decided to alter its logo slightly to appeal to younger customers.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In Sublist 5
Learn it with its set