as in championship
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Recent Examples of play-off
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
Those placed ninth to 24th will square off across two-legged play-off ties to decide who joins those elite eight in the last 16.
—Jack Bantock, New York Times, 27 Aug. 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
Tiana Randall, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Those placed ninth to 24th will square off across two-legged play-off ties to decide who joins those elite eight in the last 16.
—Jack Bantock, New York Times, 27 Aug. 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
Noun
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The baseball owners will likely lock out the players after this season in hopes of installing a salary cap that will curb the sort of spending that has fueled the Dodgers’ consecutive championships.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Chavez listed Texas among her finalists and even was in attendance as the Longhorns secured the SEC championship March 2 at Moody Center, but the Lubbock native eventually picked the Sooners.—
Danny Davis,
Austin American Statesman,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Arlington will host nine matches, including a semifinal, while Houston will stage seven games, and Dallas will serve as the tournament’s International Broadcast Center.—
Laura Begley Bloom,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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Aledo Elizabeth Griffin, senior G Griffin was a force as a junior, averaging 13 points to lead Aledo to its first girls basketball regional semifinal since 2015.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Three years ago, Rybakina won the first set of the Australian final but lost it in three.—
John Pye,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Jan. 2026
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On a temperate evening in Melbourne, Aryna Sabalenka—appearing in her fourth consecutive Australian Open final, with two titles at the tournament already under her belt—ceded what would have been her fifth Grand Slam win to the 26-year-old Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, 4–6, 6–4, 6–4.—
Vogue,
Vogue,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Detroit Pistons One of the season’s biggest success stories will likely stay over the cap but below the tax because retaining either Jalen Duren or Jaden Ivey takes them out of the cap-space derby.—
Danny Leroux,
New York Times,
28 Jan. 2026
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The home run derby used to settle ties, as seen in last year’s All-Star Game?—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Play-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/play-off. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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