pinball

American  

[pin-bawl] / ˈpɪnˌbɔl /

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.

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pinball British  

/ 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

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Etymology

Origin of pinball

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

Example Sentences

Los Angeles is a sprawling, high-energy city where you can sleep, eat, and play without ever getting in a car — or pinball across neighborhoods chasing something new at every stop.

From Salon

A vintage magazine ad boasts of the studio’s high-end gear as well as its “large screen video lounge” and “a playroom with pong, pinball and bumper pool.”

From Los Angeles Times

Their motion resembles a pinball ricocheting between stationary posts.

From Science Daily

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

From Los Angeles Times

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.

From The Wall Street Journal