alternate with (something)
(redirected from alternating with)alternate with (something)
To appear repetitively with something else. That pattern is visually overwhelming; it's just a constant line of circles alternating with squares. I think it would look better if we alternated these gray tiles with the blue ones. No, don't alternate a bold shape and color like that with an equally bold shape and color.
See also: alternate
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
alternate with something
1. [for someone] to serve as a substitute for someone. I alternated with Fred as the lead in the school play. They asked Harry to alternate with Ron on the team.
2. [for something] to appear repetitively and regularly in a sequence with something else. (For instance, A alternates with B in the sequence ABABAB.) In this design the straight lines alternate with the circles. The red dots alternate with the blue ones.
See also: alternate
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.