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 Orioles need to win only two of their next six games against the Yankees to clinch the season series, a potentially pivotal feat given the division tiebreaker is head-to-head record.
—Jacob Calvin Meyer, Baltimore Sun, 20 June 2024
Now, almost every tournament opts for a tiebreaker once the set gets to 6-6.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 26 Apr. 2024
Online voting the previous day provided the tiebreaker.
—Neal Rubin, Detroit Free Press, 21 Apr. 2024
If Philadelphia wins, the season series will be tied at two games apiece, and if the two teams finish the season tied in head-to-head matchups, the next tiebreaker criteria falls to record in division.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 10 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tiebreaker 
Jacob Calvin Meyer, Baltimore Sun, 20 June 2024
Now, almost every tournament opts for a tiebreaker once the set gets to 6-6.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 26 Apr. 2024
Online voting the previous day provided the tiebreaker.
—Neal Rubin, Detroit Free Press, 21 Apr. 2024
If Philadelphia wins, the season series will be tied at two games apiece, and if the two teams finish the season tied in head-to-head matchups, the next tiebreaker criteria falls to record in division.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 10 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tiebreaker
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tiebreaker.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near tiebreaker
Cite this Entry
“Tiebreaker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tiebreaker. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
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