playoff

1 of 2

noun

play·​off ˈplā-ˌȯf 

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

play off

2 of 2

verb

played off; playing off; plays off

transitive verb

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

Noun

Both scored in a 24-6 victory over Indianapolis last Sunday, the 11th time both backs have scored in the same game, including the playoffs. —Jack Magruder, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024

But, in the playoff's first year with a dozen teams, the Crimson Tide are on the outside looking in. —Ryan Morik, Fox News, 27 Nov. 2024

Verb

The Yankees starter rebounded with no further damage and made a nice play off the mound to end the inning. —Greg Rosenstein, NBC News, 27 Oct. 2024

Due to their differing set of skills, both players project to play off the other fairly effectively. —Morten Stig Jensen, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1895, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1736, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

play-off

1 of 2 noun

ˈplā-ˌȯf

1

: a final contest or series of contests to break a tie

2

: a series of contests played after the end of the regular season to determine a championship

—often used in plural

play off

2 of 2 verb

(ˈ)plā-ˈȯf

: to break a tie by a play-off