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

Celebrini and William Eklund scored for the Sharks in the tiebreaker, while Minnesota failed to convert on either of its two attempts. —CBS News, 1 Jan. 2026

In that situation, Tampa, Atlanta and Carolina would all finish 8-9, but the Panthers would win the three-way tiebreaker. —Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 1 Jan. 2026

Otherwise, the strength of schedule tiebreaker will determine who picks first. —Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Dec. 2025

The 49ers would own the first tiebreaker against the Seahawks by having swept the home-and-away series, which began with a 17-13 win in Seattle in Week 1. —Cam Inman, Mercury News, 30 Dec. 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