tiebreak

noun

tie·​break ˈtī-ˌbrāk How to pronounce tiebreak (audio)
plural tiebreaks
: an additional contest or period of play used to select a winner when a competition or part of a competition ends in a tie : tiebreaker
a tennis tiebreak

Examples of tiebreak in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Svitolina, who won the intense three-set match with an ace in the final-set tiebreak, refused to shake Azarenka’s hand post-match, something the world No. 76 player has been doing consistently given the ongoing war in her home country. Averi Kremposky, Peoplemag, 10 July 2023 In both of them, Djokovic established early leads but tightened up—the crowd support for Tsitsipas from Melbourne’s sizable Greek community seemed to get to him, especially in that first tiebreak—and let Tsitsipas back in. Gerald Marzorati, The New Yorker, 29 Jan. 2023 That series of games brought the set to a tiebreak. Gerald Marzorati, The New Yorker, 17 July 2023 The exception to this is budget legislation, which can be passed with 50 votes and the vice presidential tiebreak thanks to reconciliation. John Timmer, Ars Technica, 28 July 2022 The first to seven points is the winner of a tiebreak, but if both players are tied at six, the first to go up by two wins that game. Anthony Gharib, USA TODAY, 26 Aug. 2023 Svitolina won the intense three-set match with an ace in the final-set tiebreak, and then refused to shake the Belarusian player hand post-game — something the world No. 76 player has been doing consistently given the ongoing war in her home country. Liza Esquibias, Peoplemag, 10 July 2023 Sets can be tied at six, which then results in a tiebreak. Anthony Gharib, USA TODAY, 26 Aug. 2023 Entering the tiebreak, Djokovic had a chance to go up two sets to love. Adam Zagoria, Forbes, 16 July 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tiebreak.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1970, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tiebreak was in 1970

Dictionary Entries Near tiebreak

Cite this Entry

“Tiebreak.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tiebreak. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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