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

The two teams are close in the standings and are still working to determine their head-to-head tiebreaker for the season. —Tony East, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2025

Now the series is 2-2, and if neither team wins its division, a potential tiebreaker will come down to the best record against Western Conference opponents. —Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 8 Jan. 2025

With Washington holding the tiebreaker, the Packers are locked in as the seventh seed, setting up a challenging road to the playoffs. —Sean Treppedi, Newsweek, 5 Jan. 2025

Ottawa currently owns the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference via tiebreaker, but this is all a refreshing change for the Blue Jackets. —Aaron Portzline, The Athletic, 4 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1904, in the meaning defined at sense 3