playoff

1 of 2

noun

play·​off ˈplā-ˌȯf How to pronounce playoff (audio)
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
From there, the winner of the 2-3 matchup in each division faces the winner of the division champion-wild card playoff matchup in Round 2. Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 25 Mar. 2024 The Kansas City Comets are fully prepared for the Ron Newman Cup playoffs after concluding the regular season on a six-game winning streak Saturday. Nathan Dunn, Kansas City Star, 25 Mar. 2024 The San Diego Padres finished 22 games behind the Dodgers in 2022, then eliminated them from the playoffs. Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2024 The Lakers now embark on a six-game road-trip and will be looking to improve their seeding and secure an automatic playoff berth as the season winds down. Sam Joseph, CNN, 25 Mar. 2024 The Texas high school boys soccer playoff season is here. Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Mar. 2024 Killorn signed with the Ducks over the summer, leaving behind a club that is now looking solid for its ninth postseason berth in 10 years for one that will miss the playoffs for the sixth consecutive campaign. Andrew Knoll, Orange County Register, 23 Mar. 2024 Drafted first overall in 2008, Stamkos came to a Tampa Bay team that had finished last in the NHL’s overall standings the season before, and after Stamkos’ arrival, the Lightning would make the playoffs only once in the next five years. Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 21 Mar. 2024 In the biggest sports rights deal of 2024 so far, ESPN has snagged a six-year extension for the College Football Playoff, a critical deal (valued at a reported $7.8 billion) that will keep ESPN as the home of the playoffs through 2031-2032. Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Mar. 2024
Verb
All things considered, maybe the band didn’t need to play off the production design, costume, makeup and special effects winners? Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Mar. 2024 McIlroy and Jeff Rhodes, a managing partner at TGL Capital who plays off a 9 handicap index, won the pro-am at 18-under par. Doug Ferguson, USA TODAY, 3 Feb. 2024 Tuesday would mark his first game playing off of Miami’s bench since the preseason. Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024 At the Valparaiso store, the special doughnut is a key lime flavor called The Viking that plays off the mascot and green and white colors of Valparaiso High School. The Indianapolis Star, 16 Jan. 2024 These will play off the power of theatrical release. John Hopewell, Variety, 6 Mar. 2024 Celery root stands up to the treatment well, with its earthiness playing off the same quality of the mushrooms in the sauce. Joe Yonan, Washington Post, 25 Feb. 2024 Indeed winners won’t need to worry about getting played off the stage tonight because … streaming! Meredith Blake, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2024 No orchestras playing off the winners in the middle of their acceptance speeches. Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'playoff.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1895, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1736, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of playoff was in 1736

Dictionary Entries Near playoff

Cite this Entry

“Playoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/playoff. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on playoff

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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