variants
or less commonly play-off
1
: a final contest, series of contests, or period of play to determine the winner between contestants or teams that have tied
a golf tournament decided by an 18-hole playoff
a sudden-death playoff
2
: a series of contests played after the end of the regular season to determine a championship
—usually plural except when used before another noun
Will you watch the playoffs?
got tickets to a playoff game
played off; playing off; plays off
1
a
: to set in opposition for one's own gain
b
: to set in contrast
2
: to complete the playing of (an interrupted contest)
3
: to break (a tie) by a playoff
Examples of playoff in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Greg Rosenstein, NBC News, 15 Nov. 2024
The all-time winningest coach in U.S. Soccer and MLS, Arena was announced last week as the coach and sporting director of the Earthquakes, who haven’t had a winning record since 2013 and haven’t won a playoff game since 2012.
—Harold Gutmann, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024
Greg Rosenstein, NBC News, 27 Oct. 2024
Due to their differing set of skills, both players project to play off the other fairly effectively.
—Morten Stig Jensen, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for playoff 
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Noun
Quarterback Jayden Daniels, the No. 2 pick in the 2024 NFL draft, has electrified both the franchise and the fan base and has the Commanders primed for the playoffs for the first time since 2020.
—Greg Rosenstein, NBC News, 15 Nov. 2024
The all-time winningest coach in U.S. Soccer and MLS, Arena was announced last week as the coach and sporting director of the Earthquakes, who haven’t had a winning record since 2013 and haven’t won a playoff game since 2012.
—Harold Gutmann, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024
Verb
The Yankees starter rebounded with no further damage and made a nice play off the mound to end the inning.
—Greg Rosenstein, NBC News, 27 Oct. 2024
Due to their differing set of skills, both players project to play off the other fairly effectively.
—Morten Stig Jensen, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for playoff
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Cite this Entry
“Playoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/playoff. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
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