al ‧ ter S3 W3 AC /ˈɔːltə $ ˈɒːltər/ BrE AmE verb
[ Word Family: verb : ↑ alter ; noun : ↑ alteration ]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: French ; Origin: altérer , from Medieval Latin alterare , from Latin alter 'other' ]
1 . [intransitive and transitive] to change, or to make someone or something change:
Her face hadn’t altered much over the years.
The city centre has altered beyond recognition (=changed very much) .
Nothing can alter the fact that the refugees are our responsibility.
2 . [transitive] to make a piece of clothing longer, wider etc so that it fits
have/get something altered
She had the dress altered for the wedding.
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THESAURUS
■ to change something
▪ change to make someone or something different:
Unfortunately, there’s nothing we can do to change the situation.
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Being at college has changed her – she’s much more confident now.
▪ alter especially written tochange something so that it is better or more suitable:
You can alter the colour and size of the image using a remote control.
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Can we alter the date of the meeting?
▪ adapt to change something slightly in order to improve it or make it more suitable:
How much would it cost to adapt the existing equipment?
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You can adapt the recipe to suit your own requirements.
▪ adjust to make small changes in the position or level of something in order to improve it or make it more suitable:
How do you adjust the volume on the television?
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He adjusted his tie in the mirror.
▪ modify especially written to make small changes to something such as a piece of equipment, a set of ideas, or a way of behaving in order to improve it or use it in a different way:
He’s modified his opinions since then.
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a modified version of the original program.
▪ reform to change a law, system, organization etc so that it is fairer or more effective:
plans to reform the tax system
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Health care needs to be completely reformed.
▪ revise to change a plan, idea, law etc because of new information and ideas:
In July, China revised the rules for foreign investment.
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The findings could force the scientists to revise their ideas about climate change.
▪ reorganize to change the way that a system or organization works:
We’ve had to reorganize our database
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During the 1980s, the government reorganized the civil service.
▪ restructure to make big changes to the way something is organized, especially a large political or economic system or a big company, in order to make it more effective:
The company has been restructured from top to bottom.