tie-breaker

IPA/ˈtaɪˌbreɪ.kər/
IPA/ˈtaɪˌbreɪ.kɚ/

tie-breaker — noun

1. an extra procedure used when opponents finish level, to decide who wins — for ex

1.nounB2
Definition

an extra procedure used when opponents finish level, to decide who wins — for example, an added round of play, a final quiz question, or a deciding vote

Example

The tennis match went to a tie-breaker after both players won six games each.

collocation: 'went to a tie-breaker'

Ishaan got the final question right, so the quiz host called for a tie-breaker.

Common collocations
  • go to a tie-breaker
  • win a tie-breaker
  • lose a tie-breaker
  • sudden-death tie-breaker
  • tie-breaker round
  • force a tie-breaker
Synonyms
  • decider

    more general; can refer to any deciding factor, not just a formal procedure

  • playoff

    implies a full extra match rather than a short tie-break within a match

  • sudden death

    a specific type of tie-breaker where the first score wins immediately

Usage Note

Used mainly in sports, games, and competitions. Can also appear in voting or decision-making settings when a deadlock must be resolved.

Common Mistakes

The tie-breaker voted for the proposal.
The chair cast the deciding vote.
A tie-breaker is a method or procedure, not a person who breaks a tie.

Word family

  • tie
    verbB1
  • tie
    nounB2
  • tie-break
    nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

A tie-breaker is a formal procedure built into the rules of a contest to resolve a draw — it happens within an existing match (like a tennis tie-break at 6–6) or immediately after (a quiz tie-breaker question). A decider is a looser, more general term: any event, goal, or moment that settles an uncertain outcome, whether or not a formal mechanism exists. A playoff refers to an entire extra match or series scheduled after the regular season or main competition ends, not a short procedure within one. Sudden death is a specific format of tie-breaker where the first score ends the contest instantly — it describes the rule, not the event itself. For example, a penalty shootout is a tie-breaker, but a replay match the following week is a playoff.

decider ↗playoff ↗sudden death

Common collocations

Nouns

  • tie-breaker round
  • tie-breaker question
  • tie-breaker rule

Phrases

  • go to a tie-breaker
  • force a tie-breaker
  • win on a tie-breaker
  • decide by a tie-breaker

Prepositions

  • in a tie-breaker

Etymology

English

Formed from tie (a draw or equal score, from the 17th-century idea of being tied together) and breaker (something that breaks or ends a state). The compound emerged in the 20th century as organised sports adopted formal rules for resolving drawn matches.

First known use

1904

1904, in the meaning defined at sense 3