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

Baltimore, which is 9-5, can tie a 10-4 Pittsburgh team for first place of the AFC North and clinch a playoff berth with a victory on Saturday evening. —Gord Magill, Newsweek, 21 Dec. 2024

Playoff picture: 2024 NFL playoff projections Unable to view our graphics? —Jim Sergent, USA TODAY, 21 Dec. 2024

Verb

It is expected to play off trends started by BMW then further materialized by Mercedes and Audi, delivering a sloped rooftop akin to fastback-like design. —Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 26 Dec. 2024

Crowder’s route from the right side played off Ertz’s underneath action. —Ben Standig, The Athletic, 23 Dec. 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