tiebreaker

noun

tie·​break·​er ˈtī-ˌbrā-kər How to pronounce tiebreaker (audio)
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
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Lamar can lock up the premier small school slot with a victory, while Bowie needs a victory over Haltom and a Lamar loss to trigger the 8-6A tiebreaker; the Vikings and Volunteers split the season series. Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Feb. 2025 Spagnuolo may hold the ultimate tiebreaker in our formula, having masterminded the Giants defense that stifled the 18-1 Patriots in Super Bowl 42. Bill Speros, Boston Herald, 29 Jan. 2025 The 37-year-old Djokovic stopped his match against Alexander Zverev after dropping the opening set in a tiebreaker on Friday. Jackson Thompson, Fox News, 26 Jan. 2025 The last was the Senate’s approval of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth Friday night by one vote, a tiebreaker cast by Vice President JD Vance. Paul Bedard, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 25 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for tiebreaker 

Word History

First Known Use

1904, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Time Traveler
The first known use of tiebreaker was in 1904

Dictionary Entries Near tiebreaker

Cite this Entry

“Tiebreaker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tiebreaker. Accessed 12 Feb. 2025.

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