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 Cavaliers will look to remain undefeated in these playoffs after taking care of business sitting at home. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Apr. 2025

What an impressive performance so far by the Clippers in this playoff series against the Nuggets. —Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2025

Verb

Liverpool had been played off the park by Fabian Hurzeler’s side and were fortunate to only be 1-0 down. —Andy Jones, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025

Mahogany siding warms up the exterior, playing off the existing concrete and stucco. —Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 5 Apr. 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