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
Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 12 Feb. 2026
Wakeland essentially controls their own playoff destiny with games against Reedy and The Colony on tap.
—Ishmael Johnson, Dallas Morning News, 11 Feb. 2026
Art De Roché, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2026
Los Angeles Rams star Puka Nacua is known for making plays on the field, but the All-Pro wide receiver made his latest play off the field.
—Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 31 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for playoff
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Noun
What’s happened is that the Knights (20-6) went into the weight room, got stronger to make up for losing Stokes’ rebounding prowess and are very much alive in the Southern Section Open Division playoffs after defeating La Mirada 76-60 on Wednesday night in their opening game of Pool D.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 12 Feb. 2026
Wakeland essentially controls their own playoff destiny with games against Reedy and The Colony on tap.
—Ishmael Johnson, Dallas Morning News, 11 Feb. 2026
Verb
The context of this cameo being a more open game where Gyokeres could play off fellow attackers was almost tailor-made for him.
—Art De Roché, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2026
Los Angeles Rams star Puka Nacua is known for making plays on the field, but the All-Pro wide receiver made his latest play off the field.
—Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 31 Jan. 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 12 Feb. 2026.
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