1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

play-off

noun

Definition of play-offnext
as in championship

Related Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of play-off There has been no Premier League football for a decade, though, and there was an underwhelming Championship play-off final defeat by Hull City in May. — Michael Walker, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026 In great news, the Minnesota Lynx’s were the first team to clinch a play-off spot, a top spot at that. — Tiana Randall, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025 The Maroons ascended back to France's top tier in the summer after winning their play-off match to return after just a single season. — Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Aug. 2025 This includes the promotion/relegation play-off games and the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup next year to kick off the 2026-27 season. — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for play-off
  1. championship
  2. semifinal
  3. final
  4. derby
Noun
  • Caterer Bader Eabram, 24, said Morocco's strong performance in recent World Cups and other soccer championships is driving some voters' choices, and providing hope.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Sep. 2026
  • During that span, the Blue Devils won the 2010 NCAA Division I men's basketball national championship, with Spatola serving as an assistant coach.
    — Chantz Martin OutKick, FOXNews.com, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of championship
Noun
  • Sac State’s finest Division II team was the 1988 group that lost at North Dakota State in a national playoff semifinal.
    — Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Spain was dealt a shock defeat by Mali in its second game but beat Japan to top the group, then defeated Australia in the quarterfinals before a battling 76-66 loss to the United States in their semifinal.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Sep. 2026
Definition of semifinal
Noun
  • Of all those events, none loom larger than the 1966 World Cup final, when England beat West Germany 4-2 and Queen Elizabeth II handed the trophy to Bobby Moore — the only major men’s soccer tournament title England has won.
    — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Following the semifinals, six acts collected enough votes to qualify for the final.
    — Lars Brandle, Billboard, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of final
Noun
  • Atletico Madrid won the first capital derby of the season in the Spanish league with a 2-1 win against 10-man Real Madrid, while Manchester City prevailed in an eight-goal thriller against Sunderland to move clear at the top of the Premier League.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Sep. 2026
  • The 46-year-old, whose team won 1-0 against Manchester United in the Manchester derby at Old Trafford on Sunday despite Phil Foden’s first-half red card, is a firm believer in the power of music in an elite performance setting.
    — Greg O'Keeffe, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of derby

Browse Nearby Words

playmates
play-off
play-offs
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Play-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/play-off. Accessed 25 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of tactile

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 25
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All