changeup

noun

change·​up ˈchānj-ˌəp 

: a slow pitch in baseball thrown with the same motion as a fastball in order to deceive the batter

Examples of changeup in a Sentence

The batter struck out on a changeup.

Recent Examples on the Web

In the sixth, with the Phillies up seven runs, Painter threw a 1-2 changeup to Alec Burleson that probably caught too much of the plate. — Matt Gelb, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026

Boston’s Wilyer Abreu put runners at the corners with a single, then Willson Contreras turned a changeup into a 450-foot three-run blast that landed somewhere on Lansdowne Street. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 22 Aug. 2026

His pitch count approaching 90, the Diamondbacks starter drew a one-pitch flyout from Durbin but left a changeup down and over the middle to Gasper. — Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 19 Aug. 2026

His three strikeouts were called on changeups, his most used pitch of the night. — Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 18 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1934, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for changeup

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup