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

Margin of victory matters for tiebreakers, so teams are incentivized to run up the score. —Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 12 Nov. 2024

Bell’s finish tied Byron in points with the tiebreaker going to Bell because of his second-place finish at Las Vegas on October 20. —Bruce Martin, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024

Boston Red Sox 4, Dodgers 1 Game 1 — Red Sox 8, Dodgers 4 Game 2 — Red Sox 4, Dodgers 2 Game 3 — Dodgers 3, Red Sox 2 (18) Game 4 — Red Sox 9, Dodgers 6 Game 5 — Red Sox 5, Dodgers 1 The Dodgers narrowly won the NL West after defeating the Colorado Rockies in a tiebreaker game. —Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2024

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

Word History

First Known Use

1904, in the meaning defined at sense 3