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
Morten Stig Jensen, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024
But Swift, 34, quickly played off the malfunction, continuing to dance and sing around the stage, joined by her backup dancers, without the aid of the platform.
—Chris Barilla, People.com, 28 Oct. 2024
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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
Due to their differing set of skills, both players project to play off the other fairly effectively.
—Morten Stig Jensen, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024
But Swift, 34, quickly played off the malfunction, continuing to dance and sing around the stage, joined by her backup dancers, without the aid of the platform.
—Chris Barilla, People.com, 28 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 23 Nov. 2024.
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