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

The Blazers struggled without Lillard, finishing last season with a 36-46 record and falling short of the playoffs. —Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 19 July 2025

But none of the six drivers affected by the court ruling are locked into this year’s playoffs. —Jenna Fryer, Chicago Tribune, 18 July 2025

Verb

Lopez can shoot and protect the rim at a high level, but his lack of mobility can cause him to get played off the floor in the playoffs. —Mat Issa, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025

The Roya narrative, her memoir, is playing off of the dishy tell-all. —Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 1 July 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