Alternating — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

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

exchange people temporarily to fulfill certain jobs and functions

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/kˌæɾɪtʃˈɛɾɪkəl/

🇬🇧British English

/bɹˌakɪstəmˈɑːtə/

🇮🇳Indian English

/bɹˌakɪstəmˈɑːtə/

4 syllables Say it as /kˌæɾɪtʃˈɛɾɪkəl/.

Examples

We take turns on the night shift
alternating current
alternating feelings of love and hate

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

understudy flip flip-flop switch interchange alternate take turns tack jump

Antonyms

direct

Parts of Speech

verb	go back and forth; swing back and forth between two states or conditions
verb	exchange people temporarily to fulfill certain jobs and functions
verb	be an understudy or alternate for a role
verb	reverse (a direction, attitude, or course of action)
verb	do something in turns “We take turns on the night shift”
adjective	(of a current) reversing direction “alternating current”
adjective	occurring by turns; first one and then the other “alternating feelings of love and hate”

Word Forms

alternation	noun	successive change from one thing or state to another and back again
alternate	noun	someone who takes the place of another person
understudy	noun	an actor able to replace a regular performer when required
tack	noun	(nautical) the act of changing tack
switch	noun	an event in which one thing is substituted for another
flip-flop	noun	a decision to reverse an earlier decision

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

abwechselnd

hin und her gehen; zwischen zwei Zuständen oder Zuständen hin- und herpendeln

🇫🇷French

en alternance

aller et venir; osciller entre deux états ou conditions

🇪🇸Spanish

alterno

ir de un sitio para otro; oscilar hacia adelante y hacia atrás entre dos estados o condiciones

🇮🇹Italian

alternato

andare avanti e indietro; oscillare avanti e indietro tra due stati o condizioni

🇳🇱Dutch

afwisselend

heen en weer gaan; heen en weer slingeren tussen twee toestanden of omstandigheden

🇵🇹Portuguese

alternando

ir e voltar; oscilar para frente e para trás entre dois estados ou condições

🇷🇺Russian

чередование

ходить туда-сюда; колебаться взад и вперед между двумя состояниями или состояниями

India

🇮🇳Hindi

अदल-बदल कर

आगे-पीछे जाओ; दो अवस्थाओं या स्थितियों के बीच आगे-पीछे झूलना

🇧🇩Bengali

পর্যায়ক্রমে

সামনে পিছনে যান; দুই অবস্থা বা অবস্থার মধ্যে সামনে পিছনে সুইং

🇮🇳Tamil

மாறி மாறி

முன்னும் பின்னுமாக செல்ல; இரண்டு நிலைகள் அல்லது நிபந்தனைகளுக்கு இடையில் முன்னும் பின்னுமாக ஊசலாடு

🇮🇳Telugu

ఏకాంతర

ముందుకు వెనుకకు వెళ్ళండి; రెండు రాష్ట్రాలు లేదా పరిస్థితుల మధ్య ముందుకు వెనుకకు స్వింగ్

🇮🇳Marathi

पर्यायी

पुढे आणि मागे जा; दोन अवस्था किंवा स्थितींमध्ये मागे-पुढे स्विंग करा

🇮🇳Gujarati

વૈકલ્પિક

આગળ અને પાછળ જાઓ; બે અવસ્થાઓ અથવા સ્થિતિઓ વચ્ચે આગળ અને પાછળ સ્વિંગ

🇮🇳Kannada

ಪರ್ಯಾಯ

ಹಿಂದಕ್ಕೆ ಮತ್ತು ಮುಂದಕ್ಕೆ ಹೋಗಿ; ಎರಡು ರಾಜ್ಯಗಳು ಅಥವಾ ಷರತ್ತುಗಳ ನಡುವೆ ಹಿಂದಕ್ಕೆ ಮತ್ತು ಮುಂದಕ್ಕೆ ಸ್ವಿಂಗ್

🇮🇳Malayalam

മാറിമാറി

അങ്ങോട്ടും ഇങ്ങോട്ടും പോകുക; രണ്ട് സംസ്ഥാനങ്ങൾ അല്ലെങ്കിൽ വ്യവസ്ഥകൾക്കിടയിൽ അങ്ങോട്ടും ഇങ്ങോട്ടും മാറുക

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਬਦਲਣਾ

ਅੱਗੇ ਅਤੇ ਪਿੱਛੇ ਜਾਓ; ਦੋ ਰਾਜਾਂ ਜਾਂ ਸਥਿਤੀਆਂ ਵਿਚਕਾਰ ਅੱਗੇ ਅਤੇ ਪਿੱਛੇ ਸਵਿੰਗ ਕਰੋ

🇵🇰Urdu

متبادل

آگے پیچھے جانا؛ دو حالتوں یا حالات کے درمیان آگے پیچھے جھولنا

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

交替

往返;在两种状态或条件之间来回摆动

🇯🇵Japanese

交互に

行ったり来たり。 2 つの状態または状態の間を行ったり来たりする

🇰🇷Korean

교대로

앞뒤로 이동; 두 상태 또는 조건 사이를 왔다 갔다 합니다.

🇻🇳Vietnamese

luân phiên

đi tới đi lui; dao động qua lại giữa hai trạng thái hoặc điều kiện

🇹🇭Thai

สลับกัน

กลับไปกลับมา; แกว่งไปมาระหว่างสองสถานะหรือเงื่อนไข

🇮🇩Indonesian

bergantian

maju mundur; berayun bolak-balik antara dua keadaan atau kondisi

🇵🇭Filipino

papalit-palit

pabalik-balik; ugoy pabalik-balik sa pagitan ng dalawang estado o kundisyon

🇲🇾Malay

berselang seli

pergi ke sana ke mari; berayun ke sana ke mari antara dua keadaan atau keadaan

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

بالتناوب

ذهابا وإيابا. تأرجح ذهابًا وإيابًا بين حالتين أو شرطين

🇮🇷Persian

متناوب

رفت و برگشت؛ بین دو حالت یا شرایط به عقب و جلو حرکت کنید

🇹🇷Turkish

alternatif

ileri geri gidin; iki durum veya koşul arasında ileri geri sallanma

🇮🇱Hebrew

לסירוגין

ללכת קדימה ואחורה; נע קדימה ואחורה בין שני מצבים או תנאים

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'alternating'?

The primary meaning of 'alternating' is 'go back and forth; swing back and forth between two states or conditions'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'alternating' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'alternating' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'alternating' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'alternating' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'alternating' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

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Do you find 'alternating' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'alternating' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'alternating' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'alternating' in a professional email?

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Never

Would you classify 'alternating' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

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