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
Margin of victory matters for tiebreakers, so teams are incentivized to run up the score.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 12 Nov. 2024
Bell’s finish tied Byron in points with the tiebreaker going to Bell because of his second-place finish at Las Vegas on October 20.
—Bruce Martin, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024
Boston Red Sox 4, Dodgers 1 Game 1 — Red Sox 8, Dodgers 4
Game 2 — Red Sox 4, Dodgers 2
Game 3 — Dodgers 3, Red Sox 2 (18)
Game 4 — Red Sox 9, Dodgers 6
Game 5 — Red Sox 5, Dodgers 1
The Dodgers narrowly won the NL West after defeating the Colorado Rockies in a tiebreaker game.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2024
Prior to the penalty, Bell and Byron were tied in points, with Bell ready to secure advancement via a tiebreaker.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tiebreaker 
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Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 12 Nov. 2024
Bell’s finish tied Byron in points with the tiebreaker going to Bell because of his second-place finish at Las Vegas on October 20.
—Bruce Martin, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024
Boston Red Sox 4, Dodgers 1 Game 1 — Red Sox 8, Dodgers 4
Game 2 — Red Sox 4, Dodgers 2
Game 3 — Dodgers 3, Red Sox 2 (18)
Game 4 — Red Sox 9, Dodgers 6
Game 5 — Red Sox 5, Dodgers 1
The Dodgers narrowly won the NL West after defeating the Colorado Rockies in a tiebreaker game.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2024
Prior to the penalty, Bell and Byron were tied in points, with Bell ready to secure advancement via a tiebreaker.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tiebreaker
Dictionary Entries Near tiebreaker
Cite this Entry
“Tiebreaker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tiebreaker. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.
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