"altering the meaning" is a perfectly valid phrase to use in written English.
You can use it to refer to a person, statement, or situation where something is changed to alter the overall meaning or impact. For example: "By adding a single word, the speaker was able to completely alter the meaning of the sentence."
When a word already exists to express what you're saying, altering the meaning of another word that means the exact opposite will just confuse everyone.
'Influence admissions policy' was changed to 'influence the university's admissions policy' during editing, mistakenly altering the meaning of the sentence.
Whether it's climate change altering the meaning of nature, or digital communications altering the nature of work, the global enclosure is panoramic, infiltrative, inescapable.
It must be remembered, however, that "the question is not the extent of the promotional efforts, but their effectiveness in altering the meaning of [the term] to the consuming public". Aloe Creme Laboratories, 423 F.2d at 850.
This study demonstrates the fluidity of "science" and "religion" during these centuries, and highlights the role that genres of science popularization play in altering the meaning of those categories.
The most common chant was, "Let Ralph debate!" Correction: October 6, 2000, Friday Because of an editing error, a phrase was omitted in some editions on Wednesday, altering the meaning, in a front-page article about the debate between Vice President Al Gore and Gov. George W. Bush of Texas.
Again, according to Merriam-Webster's, "twist" means "to alter the meaning of: distort or pervert the facts".
After interview on receiving the completed interview transcript one participant requested that an alteration be made, which served to clarify, not alter, the meaning of the content.
But dropping that "foolish" greatly altered the meaning.
Tim Parks on how translators can unwittingly alter the meaning of sentences.
Rather, it contends that it did not materially alter the meaning of the quotation.
