Meaning & use
off-speed
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivebefore a nounsport
Describes a pitch thrown more slowly than a pitcher's fastball, meant to upset the batter's timing.
Grammar: Used before a noun: an off-speed pitch. It is not usually put after a verb.
Patterns
- an off-speed pitch
- off-speed stuff
- throw off-speed pitches
He struck out the last batter with a clever off-speed pitch.
The coach told him to mix in more off-speed throws to keep hitters guessing.
Her off-speed delivery looks almost the same as her fastball until it reaches the plate.
nouncountablesportinformal
A slow pitch of this kind, especially in baseball or softball.
Grammar: Countable here: one off-speed, two off-speeds. Often written with a hyphen in this use.
Patterns
- throw an off-speed
- use an off-speed
He threw an off-speed for a strike on the outside corner.
Batters who guess fastball often swing too early at an off-speed.
Common combinations
- off-speed pitch
- The batter was badly fooled by a low off-speed pitch.
- off-speed stuff
- His off-speed stuff was working well, so he barely used his fastball.
- mix in off-speed pitches
- Good pitchers mix in off-speed pitches to disrupt the hitter's rhythm.
- off-speed breaking ball
- The young pitcher is still learning to control his off-speed breaking ball.
Synonyms and how they differ
- slow ball
- A general term for any pitch thrown with less speed; it is less technical than off-speed and is used in many sports.
- changeup
- A specific kind of off-speed pitch that looks like a fastball but arrives much slower, so it fits when you mean that exact grip and motion.
- breaking ball
- A pitch that curves or drops; it may also be slower, but the key idea is movement rather than reduced speed.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: off-speed or off-speed vs. speed off?
off-speed vs off-speed vs. speed off
Off-speed is an adjective before a noun, as in an off-speed pitch. Speed off is a verb phrase meaning to leave quickly, as in They sped off in a car.
Practice
Which sentence uses off-speed correctly?
Choose one answer.
Off-speed describes a slow pitch in baseball and normally comes before a noun such as pitch. The other options wrongly use it for driving, running, or as a noun for a train's speed.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “off-speed”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.