branch out vs alter

branch out and alter both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
branch out	No	No	Yes	No
alter	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, alter is a hypernym of branch out; that is, alter is a word with a broader meaning than branch out:

branch out: vary in order to spread risk or to expand
alter: become different in some particular way, without permanently losing one's or its former characteristics or essence

Other hypernyms of branch out include change, vary.

branch out (verb)	alter (verb)
vary in order to spread risk or to expand	remove the ovaries of
	become different in some particular way, without permanently losing one's or its former characteristics or essence
	cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
	insert words into texts, often falsifying it thereby
	make an alteration to