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
—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
Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2026
Wishing a happy basketball retirement to the legend James Hartry, who’s hanging it up as Tucker High’s boys coach after 26 years and a playoff loss to Cambridge.
—Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 4 Mar. 2026
Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 10 Mar. 2026
As two fizzing balls of energy, Ollie Rathbone and Lewis O’Brien, deployed as the pair of No 10s playing off lone striker Smith in a 3-4-2-1 set-up, were perfect for this plan.
—Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for playoff
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Noun
The Ducks are in a playoff race down the stretch for the first time since 2018.
—Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2026
Wishing a happy basketball retirement to the legend James Hartry, who’s hanging it up as Tucker High’s boys coach after 26 years and a playoff loss to Cambridge.
—Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 4 Mar. 2026
Verb
The Huskies seemed determined to keep Bascoe quiet, bringing double teams to the Villanova point guard that left teammates open on the perimeter, and the gamble played off with the Wildcats shooting just 4-for-20 on 3-pointers in the first half.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 10 Mar. 2026
As two fizzing balls of energy, Ollie Rathbone and Lewis O’Brien, deployed as the pair of No 10s playing off lone striker Smith in a 3-4-2-1 set-up, were perfect for this plan.
—Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for playoff
Cite this Entry
“Playoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/playoff. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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