tie-break
Britishnoun
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tennis a method of deciding quickly the result of a set drawn at six-all, usually involving the playing of one deciding game for the best of twelve points in which the service changes after odd-numbered points
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any contest or game played to decide a winner when contestants have tied scores
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.
Serena produced two service winners to force the tie-break back on serve, but Kostyuk and Stearns held firm before securing victory on a double fault from Venus.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
They quickly went down 6-0 in the deciding 10-point tie-break but fought back impressively.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
World number 37 Norrie edged the tie-break and then ran away with the deciding set to complete victory in two hours and 52 minutes.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
The pair continued to go toe-to-toe, but when the tie-break arrived it was Zverev who raised the intensity, whizzing through seven points without reply to take the opener.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
So just how exactly did such a dramatic tie-break unfold?
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
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.
