A kind of car in drag racing, usually with a partial body situated behind the exposed engine.
"The altered car thundered down the quarter-mile track with its massive supercharger sticking out between the rear fenders and the cab."
"His altered behavior surprised everyone at the party."
Usage: Use this term exclusively to describe specific drag race cars featuring an open cockpit and rear-mounted engine; do not use it as an adjective for general changes unless referring specifically to racing vehicles in that context. Avoid confusing the noun with "altered" used adjectivally, which simply means something has been modified from its original state.
simple past tense and past participle of alter
"The artist altered the sketch to make it more realistic before submitting it to the gallery."
In plain English: To alter something means to change it slightly so that it is not exactly the same as before.
"The detective altered his story to match new evidence found at the scene."
changed in form or character without becoming something else
"the altered policy promised success"
"following an altered course we soon found ourselves back in civilization"
"he looked...with clouded eyes and with an altered manner of breathing"
Having been changed from an original form.
"The altered landscape looked completely different from the valley we visited ten years ago."
In plain English: Altered means something has been changed from its original form.
"The altered plans meant our meeting would happen later than expected."