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

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

Noun

From February 2000 to July 2004, Smith ran the Columbus Crew, which advanced to the MLS playoff quarterfinals in 2001 and semifinals in 2002. —Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 20 May 2025

Headbutt The first playoff meeting between the teams came in the first round of the 1993 postseason. —Brian Mahoney, Chicago Tribune, 19 May 2025

Verb

Many recent pause ads try to play off the decision to halt streaming a show. —Brian Steinberg, Variety, 12 May 2025

The two of them have been dancing around each other — physically and emotionally — since sharing a kiss in the first episode that has constantly been played off as drunken antics. —Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2025

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