Tipsy aviator in for change (9)
I believe the answer is:
variation
'for change' is the definition.
(variation is a kind of change)
'tipsy aviator in' is the wordplay.
'tipsy' indicates anagramming the letters.
'aviator'+'in'='aviatorin'
'aviatorin' is an anagram of 'VARIATION'.
(Other definitions for variation that I've seen before include "Discrepancy" , "Slight change" , "Change, difference" , "Slight difference" , "Departure from the norm" .)