tic-tac-toe
noun
variants
or tick-tack-toe
: a game in which two players alternately put Xs and Os in compartments of a figure formed by two vertical lines crossing two horizontal lines and each tries to get a row of three Xs or three Os before the opponent does
Examples of tic-tac-toe in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Since this comes in a pack of two, my kids will often use them to play tic-tac-toe, write secret messages to each other, or make up their own version of Pictionary to pass the time.
—
Laura Lu, Parents, 30 June 2025
The score wasn’t out of hand until Ekblad’s power-play goal ended a textbook, tic-tac-toe passing from Aleksander Barkov to Tkachuk to Reinhart, who made a blind pass to Ekblad.
—Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 10 June 2025
Seth Jones scored into a wide-open net after some spectacular tic-tac-toe passing, and fellow defenseman Dmitry Kulikov tied it with a shot through traffic that Stuart Skinner almost certainly did not see.
—Stephen Whyno, Chicago Tribune, 7 June 2025
Some tic-tac-toe passing from Tkachuk to Bennett to Mackie Samoskevich had the Panthers forward at the side of an open net.
—Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 8 May 2025
Even the entertainment feels enhanced, with artful game sets like polished tic-tac-toe, a luxury edition of Clue, and a sleek Connect Four that double as decor.
—Ashlee Marie Preston, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
Events will tentatively include games of dodgeball, tic-tac-toe, a relay race, punt/catch, move the mountain and quarterback accuracy.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Apr. 2025
The Gophers cashed in when Moore completed a beautiful tic-tac-toe passing play along with Ziemer and Snuggerud.
—Patrick Donnelly, Twin Cities, 8 Mar. 2025
For those unfamiliar, the format is simple but addictively fun: contestants play a giant game of tic-tac-toe, earning squares by deciding whether celebrity guests' answers to trivia questions are true or false.
—Maggie Ekberg, Newsweek, 23 Jan. 2025
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Laura Lu, Parents, 30 June 2025
The score wasn’t out of hand until Ekblad’s power-play goal ended a textbook, tic-tac-toe passing from Aleksander Barkov to Tkachuk to Reinhart, who made a blind pass to Ekblad.
—Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 10 June 2025
Seth Jones scored into a wide-open net after some spectacular tic-tac-toe passing, and fellow defenseman Dmitry Kulikov tied it with a shot through traffic that Stuart Skinner almost certainly did not see.
—Stephen Whyno, Chicago Tribune, 7 June 2025
Some tic-tac-toe passing from Tkachuk to Bennett to Mackie Samoskevich had the Panthers forward at the side of an open net.
—Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 8 May 2025
Even the entertainment feels enhanced, with artful game sets like polished tic-tac-toe, a luxury edition of Clue, and a sleek Connect Four that double as decor.
—Ashlee Marie Preston, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
Events will tentatively include games of dodgeball, tic-tac-toe, a relay race, punt/catch, move the mountain and quarterback accuracy.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Apr. 2025
The Gophers cashed in when Moore completed a beautiful tic-tac-toe passing play along with Ziemer and Snuggerud.
—Patrick Donnelly, Twin Cities, 8 Mar. 2025
For those unfamiliar, the format is simple but addictively fun: contestants play a giant game of tic-tac-toe, earning squares by deciding whether celebrity guests' answers to trivia questions are true or false.
—Maggie Ekberg, Newsweek, 23 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tic-tac-toe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tic-tac-toe. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.
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