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.
In a nervy start to the tie-break, Gauff shanked a second-serve return wide before snatching a backhand volley into the net.
From BBC • Jul. 9, 2026
It was fitting, then, that the match was decided with a tie-break, and from 4-1 down, Gauff somehow found a way to move level at 6-6.
From BBC • Jul. 9, 2026
While untimely, the tie-break did not, in fact, come down to Gauff's double fault.
From BBC • Jul. 9, 2026
They were split by the fifth set, but as Djokovic pulled away in the tie-break, the fans chanted his name.
From BBC • Jul. 7, 2026
Auger-Aliassime clinched the resulting tie-break to force a decider- to the delight of the crowd on a rowdy Centre Court.
From BBC • Jul. 7, 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.
