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

Ne-Yo and T-Pain were forced to face off in the event’s closing moments for a tiebreaker. —Mackenzie Cummings-Grady, Billboard, 29 Oct. 2025

The teams finished the regular season tied, then played a best-of-three tiebreaker series to determine the National League champion. —Kyle Kensing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Oct. 2025

Bell, seeking to make the postseason for the first time since 2013, is at risk of missing out again as Keller Central holds the tiebreaker over the Blue Raiders. —Mike Waters, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Oct. 2025

Under Senate rules, Ingrassia, White House liaison to the Department of Homeland Security, can lose only three Republican votes before requiring Vice President JD Vance to cast a tiebreaker, assuming unanimous Democratic opposition. —Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 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