postseason
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.the time after the regular season when top teams play in a tournament to find a winner.
n.the period following the regular season during which qualifying teams compete in playoffs or a championship series.
Simple“The team played so well this year that they finally made it to the postseason.”
In context“After a grueling eighty-two game schedule, the players had only three days to recover before the postseason began.”
UsageUsually used with the definite article 'the'.
SynonymsAntonymsregular seasonpreseason - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.describing something that happens during the extra games after the main season ends.
adj.occurring during or relating to the period after the regular sports season.
Simple“The city was full of energy during the postseason tournament.”
In context“The veteran quarterback's postseason experience proved invaluable during the high-pressure environment of the divisional semi-finals.”
UsageAttributive use only; it sits before the noun it describes.
Synonyms
“Leonard led the Clippers to the Western Conference finals in the 2020-21 season but they have failed to get beyond the first round of the playoffs since and missed the postseason entirely in 2025-26.”
“In the league’s infancy, eight of its 10 teams qualified for the postseason, which featured a best-of-three format for the conference semi-finals and finals.”
From post- + season.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.