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

The Clippers and Trail Blazers finished with identical 42-40 records, but Portland won the tiebreaker based on its better Western Conference record. —CBS News, 13 Apr. 2026

The Sixers and Magic finished the regular season with identical 45-37 records, with the former owning the tiebreaker and, with it, home-court advantage in the play-in. —Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 13 Apr. 2026

The Hornets hold a one-game advantage over 10th-place Miami, but the Heat has the tiebreaker, so Charlotte must win in New York on Sunday or hope Miami loses to the Atlanta Hawks, who clinched a spot in the conference’s top six seeds. —Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 11 Apr. 2026

In that scenario, both Miami and Charlotte would finish 43-39, and Miami would win the tiebreaker by virtue of winning the season series with the Hornets. —Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 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