tiebreaker

noun

tie·​break·​er ˈtī-ˌbrā-kər 

plural tiebreakers

1

: an additional contest or period of play used to select a winner when a competition or part of a competition ends in a tie

… after a 90-minute rain delay in the third set, won a riveting tiebreaker.

—L. Jon Wertheim

called also tiebreak

2

: a person whose vote breaks a tie

The vice president served as a tiebreaker in the last senate vote.

3

: a final vote, point, or score that determines the winner in a contest

She cast the tiebreaker.

Examples of tiebreaker in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Prior to the penalty, Bell and Byron were tied in points, with Bell ready to secure advancement via a tiebreaker. —David Faris, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024

Jockey Ryan Moore also had two Breeders’ Cup wins, both Friday, but Prat won the tiebreaker with a runner-up finish riding Raging Sea in the Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff. —Jay Ginsbach, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024

Caveat: If the playoffs started today, the 49ers would miss out though because Arizona holds the tiebreaker over them. —Ross Terrell, Axios, 30 Oct. 2024

Houston Texans 23, Indianapolis Colts 20: The Texans managed to prevail in a wild game against the Colts, who surrendered the head-to-head tiebreaker after a second loss to Houston. —Jim Reineking, USA TODAY, 28 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1904, in the meaning defined at sense 3