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

Both the Yankees and the Mets have made it to the MLB playoffs and the New York Liberty is back in the WNBA Finals for the second year in the row. —Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2024

Her playoff run last year was marred by personal tragedy, however, as her father-in-law died only three days before the start of the Finals — and a few weeks before the birth of her second child. —Rohan Nadkarni, NBC News, 10 Oct. 2024

Verb

Depending on what role the actors played, capturing the intensity of the basement scene required fearlessness or restraint. Rhames: In moment-to-moment reality, [Bruce and I] played off of each other. —Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 15 Oct. 2024

Rose channeled his experiences into short stories and poetry, finding a home on stage while performing spoken word and playing off the crowd's energy at the Jazz Kitchen. —Domenica Bongiovanni, The Indianapolis Star, 19 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1895, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1736, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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