From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
alter
v 1: cause to change; make different; cause a transformation;
"The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth
pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my
thinking about the issue" [syn: change, alter,
modify]
2: become different in some particular way, without permanently
losing one's or its former characteristics or essence; "her
mood changes in accordance with the weather"; "The
supermarket's selection of vegetables varies according to the
season" [syn: change, alter, vary]
3: make an alteration to; "This dress needs to be altered"
4: insert words into texts, often falsifying it thereby [syn:
interpolate, alter, falsify]
5: remove the ovaries of; "Is your cat spayed?" [syn: alter,
neuter, spay, castrate]