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
played off; playing off; plays off
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
Jonas Siegel, New York Times, 2 Dec. 2025
The Rams, among others, wouldn’t love to go against Cowboys receivers CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens in the playoffs.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Dec. 2025
Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 27 Nov. 2025
While influencers long made their money by playing off people’s jealousy, a new class of influencers is gaining traction by showing their most authentic selves.
—Jenni Fink, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for playoff
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Noun
At the outset of the 2023 playoffs, he was bounced to PP2 in place of Ryan O’Reilly.
—Jonas Siegel, New York Times, 2 Dec. 2025
The Rams, among others, wouldn’t love to go against Cowboys receivers CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens in the playoffs.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Dec. 2025
Verb
Donte DiVincenzo is a shooting guard whose best basketball comes while playing off ball.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 27 Nov. 2025
While influencers long made their money by playing off people’s jealousy, a new class of influencers is gaining traction by showing their most authentic selves.
—Jenni Fink, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for playoff
Cite this Entry
“Playoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/playoff. Accessed 2 Dec. 2025.
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