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
Tom Layberger, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Meanwhile, of the 11 clubs that failed to make the playoffs more than twice in this period, only two are larger market teams.
—Jacob E. Moss, New York Daily News, 12 Aug. 2025
Alec Lewis, New York Times, 10 Aug. 2025
Rough cement tiles line the floor, their deeper color playing off the dark stone countertops.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for playoff
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Noun
The Sun Devils went from consecutive 3-9 seasons to the playoff last year and there is belief among the pollsters that third-year coach Kenny Dillingham has his squad poised for more good things in 2025 even with running back Cam Skattebo in the NFL.
—Tom Layberger, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Meanwhile, of the 11 clubs that failed to make the playoffs more than twice in this period, only two are larger market teams.
—Jacob E. Moss, New York Daily News, 12 Aug. 2025
Verb
The offense will contain more running and a more diverse screen game, but creating explosive plays off of play action will still sit at the core.
—Alec Lewis, New York Times, 10 Aug. 2025
Rough cement tiles line the floor, their deeper color playing off the dark stone countertops.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 8 Aug. 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 20 Aug. 2025.
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