changeup

noun

change·​up ˈchānj-ˌəp How to pronounce changeup (audio)
: 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Conine waited on a full-count changeup with one out in the fifth and pulled it over the fence in right-center field for a 1-0 lead. — Miami Herald, 18 July 2026 Bazzana — the top overall pick in the 2024 amateur draft — then connected on a 1-0 changeup by Dennis Santana (2-5) and drove it 414 feet for his eighth homer of the season and give Cleveland its fourth walk-off win of the season. — ABC News, 18 July 2026 Greene has found it with his split-finger fastball, while Burns, since being drafted, has worked on a changeup that has improved but still isn’t at the level of his other two pitches. — C. Trent Rosecrans, New York Times, 17 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for changeup

Word History

First Known Use

1934, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of changeup was in 1934

Rhymes for changeup

See All Rhymes for changeup

Browse Nearby Words

change three
changeup
change wheel
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Changeup.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/changeup. Accessed 27 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of parochial

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Every Letter Is Silent, Sometimes: A-Z List of Examples
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
chain-question-mark
Missing Link Quiz July 2026 Five seconds to figure out the word that fits bot...
See All