tiebreaker
noun
tie·break·er ˈtī-ˌbrā-kər 
: an additional contest or period of play used to select a winner when a competition ends in a tie
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Winning at least three would secure the season series, which would serve as a tiebreaker should the teams have identical records after closing the regular season with three games at Camden Yards. 
Nathan Ruiz, Baltimore Sun, 9 Sep. 2022 The chair has the same duties as other school board members but in a tie vote, serves as the tiebreaker. Leslie Postal, Orlando Sentinel, 2 Aug. 2022 Cumulative cases per 100,000 served as a tiebreaker. Leada Gore | Lgore@al.com, al, 21 July 2022 Democrats have a slim 50-50 majority in the Senate (including 2 Independents who caucus with Democrats) and Vice President Kamala Harris as a tiebreaker. Jason Donner, Fox News, 15 July 2022 She will likely be confirmed again, but perhaps without a single Republican vote, requiring Vice-President Kamala Harris’s vote as a tiebreaker. Amy Davidson Sorkin, The New Yorker, 24 Mar. 2022 The majority in the Senate, currently split 50-50 with Vice President Kamala Harris serving as a tiebreaker, is expected to come down to a handful of competitive races. Terence Burlij, CNN, 26 Feb. 2022 Democrats, with a 50-50 split in the Senate against Republicans and the vice president as the tiebreaker, need Manchin’s vote to pass the groundbreaking act. Nicole Goodkind, Fortune, 10 Jan. 2022 McNally, up 6-5 in the third, had two match points against Jabeur's serve but was unable to convert and the match went to a third-set tiebreaker. Adam Baum, The Enquirer, 17 Aug. 2022 See More
Nathan Ruiz, Baltimore Sun, 9 Sep. 2022 The chair has the same duties as other school board members but in a tie vote, serves as the tiebreaker. Leslie Postal, Orlando Sentinel, 2 Aug. 2022 Cumulative cases per 100,000 served as a tiebreaker. Leada Gore | Lgore@al.com, al, 21 July 2022 Democrats have a slim 50-50 majority in the Senate (including 2 Independents who caucus with Democrats) and Vice President Kamala Harris as a tiebreaker. Jason Donner, Fox News, 15 July 2022 She will likely be confirmed again, but perhaps without a single Republican vote, requiring Vice-President Kamala Harris’s vote as a tiebreaker. Amy Davidson Sorkin, The New Yorker, 24 Mar. 2022 The majority in the Senate, currently split 50-50 with Vice President Kamala Harris serving as a tiebreaker, is expected to come down to a handful of competitive races. Terence Burlij, CNN, 26 Feb. 2022 Democrats, with a 50-50 split in the Senate against Republicans and the vice president as the tiebreaker, need Manchin’s vote to pass the groundbreaking act. Nicole Goodkind, Fortune, 10 Jan. 2022 McNally, up 6-5 in the third, had two match points against Jabeur's serve but was unable to convert and the match went to a third-set tiebreaker. Adam Baum, The Enquirer, 17 Aug. 2022 See More Word History
First Known Use
circa 1932, in the meaning defined above