playoff

1 of 2

noun

play·​off ˈplā-ˌȯf 

variants or less commonly play-off

1

: a final contest, series of contests, or period of play to determine the winner between contestants or teams that have tied

a golf tournament decided by an 18-hole playoff

a sudden-death playoff

2

: a series of contests played after the end of the regular season to determine a championship

—usually plural except when used before another noun

Will you watch the playoffs?

got tickets to a playoff game

play off

2 of 2

verb

played off; playing off; plays off

transitive verb

1

a

: to set in opposition for one's own gain

b

: to set in contrast

2

: to complete the playing of (an interrupted contest)

3

: to break (a tie) by a playoff

Examples of playoff in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

And that opponent — and its fans — always seemingly treat it like a playoff game. —Kansas City Star, 7 Oct. 2025

The homegrown Maple Grove native and former Gophers captain burst onto the scene right before the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs after his loss with Minnesota in the Frozen Four. —Michael Russo, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025

Verb

The sellers have added pieces of their art collection that play off the home’s complementary styles. —Tori Latham, Robb Report, 4 Oct. 2025

Finding color that appears in, or subtly plays off, patterns. —Andrea Zendejas, Vogue, 2 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1895, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1736, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for playoff

• ashraf
• checkoff
• cutoff
• falloff
• handoff
• kickoff
• layoff
• liftoff
• markoff
• markov
• payoff
• runoff

Kids Definition

play-off

1 of 2 noun

ˈplā-ˌȯf

1

: a final contest or series of contests to break a tie

2

: a series of contests played after the end of the regular season to determine a championship

—often used in plural

play off

2 of 2 verb

(ˈ)plā-ˈȯf

: to break a tie by a play-off