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

In 2013, Korea was bounced due to tiebreaker rules. —Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2026

But the Magic has already clinched the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Heat after sweeping the five-game regular-season series against Miami. —Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 16 Mar. 2026

All of their most feasible two-way tiebreakers were sorted out in the process. —Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 15 Mar. 2026

Doncic finished with 30 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds, while teammate Austin Reaves had 32 points on 12-for-21 shooting, to go along with seven rebounds and six assists as the Lakers (42-25) won the season series to secure a potentially valuable tiebreaker over the Nuggets (41-27). —Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 15 Mar. 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