change up

British

verb

(intr, adverb) to select a higher gear when driving

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

baseball an unexpectedly slow ball thrown in order to surprise the batter

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

S&P Dow Jones Indices can change up index components at various times, including quarterly and at its own discretion.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 6, 2026

You can also change up your choice of citrus.

From Salon • Jan. 18, 2026

What was most impressive was the change up, then down, the gears, recognising the importance of battling through the tricky twilight period.

From BBC • Dec. 4, 2025

While he’ll change up individual jokes, “we’re trying not to change too much what people came to see — if we don’t fulfill their expectations, they’re liable to walk away disappointed.”

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 29, 2025

If I suggested any change, up would go your chin into the air.

From Tommy and Co. by Jerome, Jerome K. (Jerome Klapka)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023