playoffEtymologyDeverbal from play off; by surface analysis, play + -off.playoff means A final game in a series needed to break a tie. Lexicurio rates it Distinctive — a strength score of 68 out of 100.nounA final game in a series needed to break a tie.A short series of games to select a league champion.A short series of games to select the last team to be promoted (to elevate to a higher league).A short piece of underscore played during a scene transition in a stage musical, usually reprising a song from the preceding scene.