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
Ne-Yo and T-Pain were forced to face off in the event’s closing moments for a tiebreaker.
—Mackenzie Cummings-Grady, Billboard, 29 Oct. 2025
The teams finished the regular season tied, then played a best-of-three tiebreaker series to determine the National League champion.
—Kyle Kensing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Oct. 2025
Bell, seeking to make the postseason for the first time since 2013, is at risk of missing out again as Keller Central holds the tiebreaker over the Blue Raiders.
—Mike Waters, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Oct. 2025
Under Senate rules, Ingrassia, White House liaison to the Department of Homeland Security, can lose only three Republican votes before requiring Vice President JD Vance to cast a tiebreaker, assuming unanimous Democratic opposition.
—Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tiebreaker
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.
Mackenzie Cummings-Grady, Billboard, 29 Oct. 2025
The teams finished the regular season tied, then played a best-of-three tiebreaker series to determine the National League champion.
—Kyle Kensing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Oct. 2025
Bell, seeking to make the postseason for the first time since 2013, is at risk of missing out again as Keller Central holds the tiebreaker over the Blue Raiders.
—Mike Waters, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Oct. 2025
Under Senate rules, Ingrassia, White House liaison to the Department of Homeland Security, can lose only three Republican votes before requiring Vice President JD Vance to cast a tiebreaker, assuming unanimous Democratic opposition.
—Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tiebreaker
Cite this Entry
“Tiebreaker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tiebreaker. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share