variants
or less commonly play-off
1
: a final contest, series of contests, or period of play to determine the winner between contestants or teams that have tied
a golf tournament decided by an 18-hole playoff
a sudden-death playoff
2
: a series of contests played after the end of the regular season to determine a championship
—usually plural except when used before another noun
Will you watch the playoffs?
got tickets to a playoff game
played off; playing off; plays off
1
a
: to set in opposition for one's own gain
b
: to set in contrast
2
: to complete the playing of (an interrupted contest)
3
: to break (a tie) by a playoff
Examples of playoff in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
George Ramsay, CNN, 25 Feb. 2025
The challenge, of course, is that the NBA schedule doesn’t always provide big games like this one, the Lakers facing a team that knocked them out of the playoffs the last two seasons.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2025
Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 26 Feb. 2025
But with Jovic unavailable after halftime because of his injury, Kyle Anderson played off the bench in the second half to complete Miami’s nine-man rotation on Sunday.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for playoff
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Noun
In Monday’s second match, Atlanta Drive Golf Club defeated Boston Common Golf Club 6-3 to join LA in the playoffs.
—George Ramsay, CNN, 25 Feb. 2025
The challenge, of course, is that the NBA schedule doesn’t always provide big games like this one, the Lakers facing a team that knocked them out of the playoffs the last two seasons.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2025
Verb
Butler has been playing off two feet since college, a trait the Warriors love.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 26 Feb. 2025
But with Jovic unavailable after halftime because of his injury, Kyle Anderson played off the bench in the second half to complete Miami’s nine-man rotation on Sunday.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for playoff
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Cite this Entry
“Playoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/playoff. Accessed 10 Mar. 2025.
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