playoff

1 of 2

noun

play·​off ˈplā-ˌȯf 

variants or less commonly play-off

1

: a final contest, series of contests, or period of play to determine the winner between contestants or teams that have tied

a golf tournament decided by an 18-hole playoff

a sudden-death playoff

2

: a series of contests played after the end of the regular season to determine a championship

—usually plural except when used before another noun

Will you watch the playoffs?

got tickets to a playoff game

play off

2 of 2

verb

played off; playing off; plays off

transitive verb

1

a

: to set in opposition for one's own gain

b

: to set in contrast

2

: to complete the playing of (an interrupted contest)

3

: to break (a tie) by a playoff

Examples of playoff in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Quarterback Jayden Daniels, the No. 2 pick in the 2024 NFL draft, has electrified both the franchise and the fan base and has the Commanders primed for the playoffs for the first time since 2020. —Greg Rosenstein, NBC News, 15 Nov. 2024

The all-time winningest coach in U.S. Soccer and MLS, Arena was announced last week as the coach and sporting director of the Earthquakes, who haven’t had a winning record since 2013 and haven’t won a playoff game since 2012. —Harold Gutmann, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024

Verb

Due to their differing set of skills, both players project to play off the other fairly effectively. —Morten Stig Jensen, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024

But Swift, 34, quickly played off the malfunction, continuing to dance and sing around the stage, joined by her backup dancers, without the aid of the platform. —Chris Barilla, People.com, 28 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1895, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1736, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

play-off

1 of 2 noun

ˈplā-ˌȯf

1

: a final contest or series of contests to break a tie

2

: a series of contests played after the end of the regular season to determine a championship

—often used in plural

play off

2 of 2 verb

(ˈ)plā-ˈȯf

: to break a tie by a play-off