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

Toward the end of 2024 and during the Yankees’ playoff run, Holmes utilized a four-seam fastball against left-handed batters. —Will Sammon, The Athletic, 10 Dec. 2024

Nor is it intended to blame the playoff committee in its first year of selecting a 12-team field, which unquestionably created tremendous excitement and interest down the stretch. —Tom Layberger, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024

Verb

The way the light banana slices play off the deep, toasty flavor of the sticky toffee drizzled on top? —Rachel Bernhard, Journal Sentinel, 26 Nov. 2024

Cube’s already got his sights set on a companion album with a Man Up sequel, which plays off his feelings that America’s gotten too sensitive these days. —Michael Saponara, Billboard, 25 Nov. 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