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

The Cubs wanted to give Ayers exposure to the MLB environment by having him around the team and in the clubhouse in the final days of the regular season and into the playoffs. — Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 12 Nov. 2026

Stafon Johnson, the football coach at Dorsey High who was a star running back for the Dons and USC, has his team reaching peak form just in time for the start of the City Section Open Division playoffs on Friday. — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 11 Nov. 2026

Verb

The added threat, Thompson said, has been playing off of the defensive walls drawn by Giannis Antetokounmpo. — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 10 Nov. 2026

Lights from torches and Navi the fairy play off the floors and walls of dungeons with lavish detail, making metal glint and bringing out the cracks and contours of stone and tile. — Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 5 Nov. 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