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

That team charged in the second half and finished tied with the Toronto Blue Jays for the American League’s best record, but actually in second place because of the tiebreaker. — Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026

The Phillies hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Padres. — Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Aug. 2026

Rule 9 - Showdown tiebreaker If the game is still tied at the end of the two-hour time limit, Banana Ball has its own version of extra innings. — Idaho Statesman, 27 July 2026

This would end up being the group tiebreaker sending Chicago to the 3rd place game, amazingly. — Todd Boss, Forbes.com, 27 July 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