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

called 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

Remember, strength of schedule is the deciding tiebreaker for draft order, and that’s working against the Giants. —Charlotte Carroll, The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024

The Falcons swept the season series and hold the tiebreaker. —Marcus Hayes, Orlando Sentinel, 27 Dec. 2024

If the Rams and Seahawks both win this week, and then the Seahawks beat the Rams in the final week, the tiebreakers would come down to strength of schedule. —Ben Blatt, New York Times, 25 Dec. 2024

But the Steelers currently hold the conference tiebreaker edge (7-3 vs. 6-4). —Jay Ginsbach, Forbes, 24 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1904, in the meaning defined at sense 3