Meaning & use
tiebreak
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Meanings
nouncountable
A special game or round used to decide the winner when a match or contest is tied.
Grammar: In tennis, a tiebreak is played when a set reaches six games each.
Patterns
- win a tiebreak
- in a tiebreak
She won the match in a tiebreak.
The final set went to a tiebreak.
He lost the tiebreak after double-faulting.
nouncountable
Any method used to decide a winner when scores are equal.
Grammar: Used more generally in competitions and quizzes.
Patterns
- use a tiebreak
- decide by a tiebreak
The quiz ended in a tie, so they had a tiebreak question.
The election was decided by a tiebreak in the council.
Word forms
| plural | tiebreaks |
|---|
Common combinations
- win a tiebreak
- She won the tiebreak 7–5.
- lose a tiebreak
- He lost the tiebreak after a double fault.
- in a tiebreak
- The set was decided in a tiebreak.
- tiebreak question
- The quiz had a tiebreak question to determine the winner.
Synonyms and how they differ
- tiebreaker
- The more common American spelling and pronunciation; tiebreak is also used, especially in tennis.
Word family
Commonly confused: tiebreak or tiebreaker?
tiebreak vs tiebreaker
Tiebreaker is the more usual form in American English; tiebreak is common in British English and in tennis.
Practice
The tennis match was so close that it went to a ___.
Choose one answer.
A tiebreak is the extra game played when the score is tied. 'Tie-up' means a connection or delay; 'tie' is the equal score itself; 'break' alone does not mean the deciding game.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “tiebreak”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.