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Meaning & use

three-way tie

noun·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˌθriː weɪ ˈtaɪ/
US/ˌθriː weɪ ˈtaɪ/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable

    A situation in which three people or teams have the same score or result and share the same rank.

    Grammar: Countable: use a/an or the, and it has a plural: three-way ties.

    Patterns

    • a three-way tie for something
    • a three-way tie between A, B, and C
    • end in a three-way tie

    The two top teams both lost, so the championship ended in a three-way tie.

    There was a three-way tie for second place in the spelling bee.

    After the final round, the judges announced a three-way tie between the three best singers.

  2. nouncountable

    A competition or vote in which three participants finish with exactly the same number of points or votes.

    Grammar: Often used after 'in' or 'into': finish in a three-way tie.

    Patterns

    • finish in a three-way tie
    • result in a three-way tie
    • a three-way tie for first place

    The election resulted in a three-way tie, so they had to hold a runoff.

    The race for class president ended in a three-way tie.

    A three-way tie in the semifinals meant all three players advanced.

Word forms

pluralthree-way ties

Common combinations

end in a three-way tie
The game ended in a three-way tie.
a three-way tie for first place
She was in a three-way tie for first place.
break a three-way tie
They used a tiebreaker to break the three-way tie.
finish in a three-way tie
The runners finished in a three-way tie.

Synonyms and how they differ

deadlock
Deadlock means no one can win or make progress; a three-way tie specifically means three sides have equal scores and may be resolved by a tiebreaker.
draw
A draw is usually between two sides; a three-way tie always involves three.

Word family

tie noun
An equal score or result between two or more competitors.
tiebreaker noun
An extra question or game used to decide a winner after a tie.

Commonly confused: three-way tie or three-way stop?

three-way tie vs three-way stop

A three-way stop is a road junction where three roads meet and all drivers must stop; a three-way tie is only about equal scores.

Practice

The two leading candidates both got 40% of the vote, and a third candidate got 20%. What is this result called?

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