pinball

[pin-bawl]

noun

1. any of various games played on a sloping, glass-topped table presenting a field of colorful, knoblike target pins and rails, the object usually being to shoot a ball, driven by a spring, up a side passage and cause it to roll back down against these projections and through channels, which electrically flash or ring and record the score.

pinball

/ ˈpɪnˌbɔːl /

noun

1. 1. a game in which the player shoots a small ball through several hazards on a table, electrically operated machine, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      a pinball machine

Word History and Origins

Origin of pinball¹

An Americanism dating back to 1880–85; pin + ball ¹

Example Sentences

Their motion resembles a pinball ricocheting between stationary posts.

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“There are also pinball machines and arcade games, which may be as fun for you as they are for your kids.”

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Godard can barely be dragged to the set sometimes, seemingly more interested in hanging out at a café, playing pinball, and devising abstract theories about how to undermine and revolutionize traditional cinema.

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If you’re still in the mood for partying once the cocktail den closes at 1 a.m., then walk across the street to EightyTwo, an arcade bar with dozens of pinball machines and classic video games.

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A vintage “Halloween” pinball machine and a life-size Nosferatu hover near his easy chair.

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