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 Braves have a three-game lead with three to play and own a tiebreaker over second-place Orange Lutheran. —Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2025

That allowed the Nuggets to even the head-to-head record and eventually win the tiebreaker process, which extends to records against Western Conference opponents. —Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 13 Apr. 2025

Los Angeles owns tiebreakers against the Grizzlies and Clippers, while the Lakers' tiebreaker against Minnesota has yet to be determined. —John W. Dean, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Apr. 2025

Chicago owns the first tiebreaker, with 18 wins in regulation time to the Sharks’ 14. —Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 4 Apr. 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