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

These two teams have circled each other since the Rams won the NFC West last winter based off a tiebreaker, denying Seattle the opportunity to play for a postseason spot before their Week 18 matchup. —Adam Grosbard, Oc Register, 25 Jan. 2026

Amazingly, only a Week 1 loss to Las Vegas, the worst team in football, produced the tiebreaker that put this game in Denver rather than Massachusetts. —Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 24 Jan. 2026

The Sharks, based on tiebreakers, entered Thursday just outside of the playoff picture with 53 points, same as the Seattle Kraken and Los Angeles Kings, and two points back of the Anaheim Ducks for third place in the Pacific Division. —Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 23 Jan. 2026

This time, Potapova surged ahead in the tiebreaker, taking a 6-3 lead. —Reuters, NBC news, 23 Jan. 2026

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