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

In a fun wrinkle worth mentioning, if there is a tie at the conclusion of group play, a playoff will take place to determine who will advance, instead of any sort of margin-of-victory tiebreaker or any others determined on paper. — Mark Harris Outkick, FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2026

The Brewers hold the tiebreaker over the Dodgers after beating them in four of the seven games this season. — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026

Their hold on the top National League wild-card spot has been trimmed to just two games over the Philadelphia Phillies, who are riding an eight-game winning streak, though the Cubs have the season tiebreaker. — Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 23 Aug. 2026

Another potential factor is that the Rays need to beat the Yankees at least once to win the season series and thus have the tiebreaker for the division title if needed. — Marc Topkin, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Aug. 2026

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