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 Netherlands holds a one-goal edge on total goals in the tiebreaker. — Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 25 June 2026

Only then — as a fourth tiebreaker — does overall goal difference come into play. — ABC News, 25 June 2026

Unbeaten Egypt also finished second in its group, on a goal-differential tiebreaker. — Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026

The Yankees and Jays finished with the same 94-68 record, but Toronto won the head-to-head tiebreaker and, thus, the division. — Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 29 June 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