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

—used with against

They have been playing him off against his old enemies.

b

: to set in contrast

chose a sweet wine to play off the sharp cheese

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

But between now and the trade deadline, Staios must find another offensive weapon who can add to the Sens’ attack and solidify their playoff ambitions. — Julian McKenzie, New York Times, 5 Nov. 2026

How the playoff field will be decided This is the third season of the 12-team playoff format after the field was only four teams for the first 10 years. — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 4 Nov. 2026

Verb

On the subsequent third-and-9, there was confusion as the offense tried to get the play off. — Brad Biggs, Chicago Tribune, 3 Nov. 2026

Johnson became host of Inside the NBA with its second season in 1990 and has been at the helm ever since, wrangling and playing off of analysts Kenny Smith (since 1998), Charles Barkley (since 2000) and Shaquille O’Neal (since 2011). — Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 28 Oct. 2026

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