Alter
Alter verb - To make different in some way.
Usage example: can't you alter your plans just slightly so we can leave 10 minutes earlier?
Change is a synonym for alter in activity topic. In some cases you can use "Change" instead the word "Alter" as a verb or a noun, when it comes to topics like behaviour, process, fix, regulate. popular alternative
Change
Change verb - To make different in some way.
Usage example: my wife has changed the look of our living room more times than we care to remember
Alter is a synonym for change in behaviour topic. You can use "Alter" instead a verb "Change", if it concerns topics such as process, fix, regulate, influence. popular alternative
Mutual synonyms
Common collocations
| mind | alter mind | change mind |
| life | alter life | change life |
| direction | alter direction | change direction |
| course | alter course | change course |
| Other words: appearance, fate, future, outcome, time, way, shape, personality, size, world, color, voice, past, history, reality, rules, colors, events, timeline, minds. | ||
Both words in one sentence
- Virtually all Pen and Paper roleplaying games have houserules of some kind, and in fact many games encourage a DM to alter or change rules to make for a smoother game.
Source: House Rules - Plot Device: There is literally a kind of technology called "Plot", which can alter and change reality in any way the R-Pers wish.
- The Leopard: Society will change and alter in all manner of unexpected ways and not everyone can live in a changed world.
Source: Central Theme / Film
Cite this Source
Change and Alter. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 15, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/alter/change
Alter & Change. N.p., 2016. Web. 15 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/alter/change>.
Change or Alter. 2016. Accessed August 15, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/alter/change.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "alter" and "change" have occurred on timeline