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

Both Messi and Mbappé had eight goals through the semifinals, but Messi owned the tiebreaker with one more assist. — Brian Mahoney, Chicago Tribune, 19 July 2026

But after losing by 32 points, the Hawks don’t have the point differential tiebreaker on their side. — Lauren Williams, AJC.com, 17 July 2026

With the Yankees ultimately winning the division by a tiebreaker over the Red Sox, Marazzi's timely advice may have directly contributed to their championship season. — Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026

If the scores are still level after that, the match is decided by a penalty shootout — best of five, with alternating sudden-death shots as the very last tiebreaker. — Dan Sheldon, New York Times, 17 July 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