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

The Blue Devils reached the ACC title game by going 6-2 in league play and winning a five-way tiebreaker (with Miami among those teams in that tiebreaker) by having the highest conference opponent win percentage. —Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 16 Dec. 2025

Navy finished tied for first in the AAC, missing out on the league title game because of tiebreakers. —Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 13 Dec. 2025

The Strength of Victory tiebreaker is the fourth used by the NFL to determine wild card teams if three or more teams have the same record. —Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 11 Dec. 2025

From playoff pecking orders to division title tiebreakers to how the NFC South can be won (or lost) in only two games instead of four, Fowler and Kaye break it all down for the Carolina faithful. —Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 10 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