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

And Hawaii now holds the head-to-head tiebreaker edge over the Aztecs. —Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Nov. 2025

And because this was an NBA Cup game, with a potential point-differential tiebreaker looming at the end of group play, Orlando continued to attack until the final buzzer, scoring an extra eight points in the last 67 seconds. —Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 8 Nov. 2025

The 49ers can clinch the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Rams with their second win over the in-state rival this season. —Adam Grosbard, Oc Register, 8 Nov. 2025

The Rams badly need this one — a loss would put them on the wrong side of a season sweep against the 49ers, a setback that could loom large in division tiebreakers down the stretch. —Andy Scholes, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 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