Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
🏆 Deciding winner ⚖️ A deciding method 🗳️ To decide tie
tiebreaking

tiebreaking

1 3.4
A method for deciding a winner when scores are equal
  • noun
  • /ˈtaɪˌbreɪkɪŋ/
: desempate
  • After two teams ended the match with the same score, the referee used the tiebreaking method to declare a champion.
  • tiebreaking vote
  • cast the tiebreaking vote

Examples

  • Today, the crowd pushed for No. 9 seed Sam Stosur in their three-set tiebreaking effort.

    Blog text (33)

  • The basketball game went into overtime, but the tiebreaking rule allowed a quick resolution to find the winner.

  • According to the tiebreaking guidelines, the player with the most points scored earlier in the tournament would win.

Synonyms

tiebreaker
vstiebreaking
13 4.1

An extra game or period used to decide a winner when scores are tied

is the general act of deciding a winner when competitors or options are tied

Antonyms

nondecision
1 8.6

A situation where people avoid making a clear choice about something

How Long

to replay
4 3.1
extra time
3 3.0
tiebreaking
1 3.4
coin toss
19 2.4

Surface Forms

tiebreaking singular
tiebreakings plural

Morphology

tiebreaking = tiebreak (transparent) = tie + break + ing

This noun sense arises from the gerund/nominal use of 'tiebreak' + '-ing', with meaning clearly 'the act/method of breaking a tie'.

Etymology

Tiebreaking joins tie ('draw' or 'equal score') and break ('to end'), and it names the rule or action that 'breaks' a tie. So a tiebreaking is the method used to choose a winner when people or teams are equal.