tiebreak

noun

tie·​break ˈtī-ˌbrāk How to pronounce tiebreak (audio)
: tiebreaker
a tennis tiebreak

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Eventually, Alcaraz won the game with an overhead smash, and won the following tiebreak in a rout. Gerald Marzorati, The New Yorker, 12 Sep. 2022 Halep served for the set at 6-4 but hit a backhand long and then hit a forehand long; Swiatek went ahead on another mistake by Halep and won the tiebreak and the set with a punishing forehand. Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2022 Opelka eventually won the tiebreak, 24-22, and the match 7-6 (7), 7-6 (22). Peter Warren, Dallas News, 12 Feb. 2022 Neither of them have won a major title, though Zverev came close last fall at the U.S. Open, losing to Dominic Thiem in a fifth set tiebreak. Dan Wolken, USA TODAY, 30 July 2021 Isner and his opponent, fellow American Reilly Opelka, were in the midst of the longest tiebreak in ATP Tour history, which dates back to 1990. Peter Warren, Dallas News, 12 Feb. 2022 His win means that Democrats now have an outright 51–49 majority in the Senate, instead of a 50–50 split with a tiebreak. Tori Otten, The New Republic, 7 Dec. 2022 After outscoring West 30-20 in what was essentially a tiebreak super set after a brief pause in action, Dimond won its first state tile since 2018. Josh Reed, Anchorage Daily News, 15 Nov. 2022 Slovenian Doncic and the Mavericks have beaten good friend Serbian Jokic and the Nuggets in six of the last nine regular season meetings over the last three seasons — an important distinction for seeding and tiebreak situations. Dallas News, 3 Aug. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tiebreak.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

First Known Use

1970, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tiebreak was in 1970

Dictionary Entries Near tiebreak

Cite this Entry

“Tiebreak.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tiebreak. Accessed 22 Mar. 2023.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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