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

Ryan O'Reilly evened the score with a short-handed goal late in the second period and Juuse Saros made 30 saves for Nashville before denying all three Islanders attempts in the tiebreaker. —CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026

The move came despite the Falcons finishing the season on a four-game winning streak to end the campaign at 8-9 in a three-way tie atop the NFC South, though the Carolina Panthers won the division through a series of tiebreakers. —Frank Nunns Oconnell, CNN Money, 8 Jan. 2026

However, the Carolina Panthers won that title despite losing to the Bucs in Week 18 due to NFL tiebreaker rules. —Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 7 Jan. 2026

Atlanta finished 8-9, causing a three-way tie among the Falcons, the Bucs and the Panthers for first place, and the Panthers came out on top after tiebreakers. —Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 5 Jan. 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