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

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

So, get your crazy tiebreaker scenarios ready. —Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025

The expansion club owned the tiebreaker by virtue of having more regular-season wins (19) than Vancouver (18). —Ryan Finley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Oct. 2025

The Chiefs are 0-1 in division contests and how KC fares in AFC West games could end up being a tiebreaker in the division race. —Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 16 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