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 Blue Jackets enter play on Tuesday in ninth place in the conference, tied with the Ottawa Senators in points (62) but a spot behind them for the final wild-card spot due to a tiebreaker (regulation wins). —Aaron Portzline, The Athletic, 25 Feb. 2025

The tournament’s winner will be determined by total points, with the first tiebreaker being the goal difference, followed by the most goals scored. —Manasi Pathak, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2025

The two teams were the top point-getters in round-robin play (Canada owned the tiebreaker over Sweden), and are meeting again in Boston. —Ryan Morik, Fox News, 21 Feb. 2025

The first tiebreaker is simple enough – head-to-head result. —Christian Babcock, The Mercury News, 19 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1904, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Rhymes for tiebreaker

• blackacre
• caretaker
• clockmaker
• dressmaker
• filmmaker
• homemaker
• icebreaker
• lawmaker
• matchmaker
• pacemaker
• partaker
• peacemaker