play-off
noun
(in competitive sports) the playing of an extra game, rounds, innings, etc., in order to settle a tie.
play-off
American
[pley-awf, -of]
/ ˈpleɪˌɔf, -ˌɒf /
noun
-
(in competitive sports) the playing of an extra game, rounds, innings, etc., in order to settle a tie.
-
a series of games or matches, as between the leading teams of two leagues, in order to decide a championship.
In America the most exciting play-off is the World Series.
play off
British
verb
-
to deal with or manipulate as if in playing a game
to play one person off against another
-
(intr) to take part in a play-off
noun
-
sport an extra contest to decide the winner when two or more competitors are tied
-
a contest or series of games to determine a championship, as between the winners of two competitions
play off
Idioms
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See under play both ends against the middle .
-
Break a tie by playing an additional game or period, as in Each team had won three games so they had to play off the tie to decide the championship .
Etymology
Origin of play-off
First recorded in 1890–95; noun use of verb phrase play off
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
A date etched in the memories of AFC Wimbledon fans after their side won promotion to League One by beating Walsall at Wembley in the play-off final.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
Celtic fans are tiptoeing with trepidation into their first European action since their Champions League play-off collapse in Linz, a capitulation that has the same supporters questioning this team's big-game credentials, especially after Sunday.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
If the Falcons can settle on a quarterback, they could finally get back in play-off contention.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
Jakirovic guided Hull to a play-off win against a Millwall side who finished three places and 10 points above them, before Oli McBurnie's last-gasp winner against Middlesbrough secured top-flight football.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
‘One time in the middle of a play-off game I had to splint a quarterback’s leg with nothing but tree branches and strapping tape.’
From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan
It doesn’t help that the vice presidents constantly runs down his wife in speeches, comments he tries to play off as jokes, but which are too hard-edged to sell as jovial.
From Salon ● Jul. 29, 2026
The portraits play off the novel’s milieu: a series of churches, as well as the medieval French castle that is home to an eccentric and mostly absent prince.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026
Drugmaker Novo Nordisk is running ads that play off Apple’s humorous early-aughts “Get a Mac” campaign to try to distinguish Ozempic from other GLP-1 drugs taken for Type 2 diabetes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 20, 2026
Kenny: Low-ball bids, gambling on a play off.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2025
European microorganisms were slow to penetrate the Yucatan Peninsula, where most of the Maya polities were too small to readily play off against each other.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
