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
L. Jon Wertheimcalled 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 first tiebreaker for draft positioning is strength of schedule, with the team that’s faced an easier schedule receiving the higher pick.
—The Athletic Nfl Staff, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
The meeting could have seeding implications, with the Hawks losing what could be a tiebreaker between the two teams.
—Lauren Williams, AJC.com, 8 Feb. 2026
If all three teams finish 1-1 after the round-robin games, the first tiebreaker will be point differential across each team's games.
—CBS News, 4 Feb. 2026
Miami would have played 17 this season but avoided it only because of the ACC’s weird tiebreaker rules.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tiebreaker
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The Athletic Nfl Staff, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
The meeting could have seeding implications, with the Hawks losing what could be a tiebreaker between the two teams.
—Lauren Williams, AJC.com, 8 Feb. 2026
If all three teams finish 1-1 after the round-robin games, the first tiebreaker will be point differential across each team's games.
—CBS News, 4 Feb. 2026
Miami would have played 17 this season but avoided it only because of the ACC’s weird tiebreaker rules.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tiebreaker
Cite this Entry
“Tiebreaker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tiebreaker. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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