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
played off; playing off; plays off
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
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
Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 10 Oct. 2025
Yet Leto never shakes the role’s robotic nature, even as his character strives to become more human, and his acting partners struggle to play off that in a meaningful way.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for playoff
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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
Go with the Pleated Denim Mini Skirt, whose 100-percent regenerative cotton is not only good for the planet but will be able to play off your button-ups, cardigans, and even sweatshirts marvelously well.
—Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 10 Oct. 2025
Yet Leto never shakes the role’s robotic nature, even as his character strives to become more human, and his acting partners struggle to play off that in a meaningful way.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for playoff
Cite this Entry
“Playoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/playoff. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.
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