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
Adam Zagoria, Forbes, 9 Mar. 2025
The football team hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2013 and lost to Inglewood 106-0 in a controversial 2021 game.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2025
Andy Andersen, Vulture, 14 Mar. 2025
These statement flowers play off each other nicely when tied into more minimal design choices.
—Lauren Thomann, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for playoff
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Noun
If the playoffs began today, the Lakers would face Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler and the Golden State Warriors in the first round.
—Adam Zagoria, Forbes, 9 Mar. 2025
The football team hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2013 and lost to Inglewood 106-0 in a controversial 2021 game.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2025
Verb
Watching Brian Tyree Henry and Wagner Moura play off each other in this joint is uncannily reminiscent of watching Hackman and Roy Scheider in The French Connection, or Dustin Hoffman and Gary Busey in Straight Time.
—Andy Andersen, Vulture, 14 Mar. 2025
These statement flowers play off each other nicely when tied into more minimal design choices.
—Lauren Thomann, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for playoff
Articles Related to playoff
Cite this Entry
“Playoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/playoff. Accessed 19 Mar. 2025.
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