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Synonyms

play-off

American  
[pley-awf, -of] / ˈpleɪˌɔf, -ˌɒf /

noun

  1. (in competitive sports) the playing of an extra game, rounds, innings, etc., in order to settle a tie.

  2. 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

  1. to deal with or manipulate as if in playing a game

    to play one person off against another

  2. (intr) to take part in a play-off

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. sport an extra contest to decide the winner when two or more competitors are tied

  2. a contest or series of games to determine a championship, as between the winners of two competitions

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
play off Idioms  

  1. See under play both ends against the middle .

  2. 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.

Lee Westwood had been playing with Tiger and he missed a 15-footer that would have got him in the play-off too.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

Harlequins sit four points off the play-off spots in the Premiership Women's Rugby table, with Kildunne rediscovering her drive for success.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

To come close to matching the romance of Rory McIlroy's magical Masters then surely the Green Jacket in 2026 has to go to the man beaten in the play-off 12 months ago.

From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026

He beat a top class field and defeated US Open champion JJ Spaun in a play-off in the first of the PGA Tour's end-of-season play-off events in Memphis last August.

From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026

I was planning to make some microwave popcorn and watch a National League play-off game on TV.

From "Doing Time Online" by Jan Siebold

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.