tiebreaker

noun

tie·​break·​er ˈtī-ˌbrā-kər 

plural tiebreakers

1

: an additional contest or period of play used to select a winner when a competition or part of a competition ends in a tie

… after a 90-minute rain delay in the third set, won a riveting tiebreaker.

—L. Jon Wertheim

called also tiebreak

2

: a person whose vote breaks a tie

The vice president served as a tiebreaker in the last senate vote.

3

: a final vote, point, or score that determines the winner in a contest

She cast the tiebreaker.

Examples of tiebreaker in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

At one point, Logano and Chastain were tied on points, but Logano had the tiebreaker, forcing Chastain into a desperate state. —Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Oct. 2025

The Browns lost the tiebreaker to both teams. —Saad Yousuf, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025

As series co-creator Steve Holland told TVLine as part of our Fall TV Preview, reality quickly sets in for Georgie and Ruben, who no longer have Jim around to serve as a tiebreaker when difficult decisions arise at the store. —Ryan Schwartz, TVLine, 2 Oct. 2025

Cleveland and Detroit are tied atop the AL Central, with Guardians owning ghe tiebreaker but Tigers assured a wild card. —Miami Herald, 28 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1904, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Rhymes for tiebreaker

• blackacre
• caretaker
• clockmaker
• dressmaker
• filmmaker
• homemaker
• icebreaker
• lawmaker
• matchmaker
• pacemaker
• partaker
• peacemaker