pinball

verb

pin·​ball ˈpin-ˌbȯl How to pronounce pinball (audio)
pinballed; pinballing; pinballs

intransitive verb

: to move abruptly from one place to another

Examples of pinball in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Sevigny, meanwhile, finds herself being terrorized by her biggest fan — her son, Vanja, age two and nine months, who pinballs across the aisles of the café while his parents finish their breakfast, conduct an interview, or both. Brennan Kilbane, Allure, 23 Feb. 2023 Freddie, as played with deft, punkish attitude by the delightful find Park Ji-Min, pinballs through the movie, mostly with a sense of recklessness. Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 17 Feb. 2023 But Dupieux has always created mini-universes in which his deadpan-doofus characters can pinball about obeying the laws of a physics not quite the same as ours, so in many ways, the restrictions don’t seem to have restricted him that much. Jessica Kiang, Variety, 11 Feb. 2022 The game industry's constant cycle of layoffs and studio closures—and the turmoil that causes for developers who pinball from position to position—is at the center of Jason Schreier's book Press Reset, which was released earlier this year. Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, 6 Dec. 2021 The true freshman came right back to run for a 21-yard touchdown, then pinball his way to a 14-yard screen pass touchdown, then slice his way to a 6-yard score. Nathan Baird, cleveland, 23 Oct. 2021 The other Roys pinball around the world, jetting off to Waystar Royco’s various headquarters in private planes, diligently chartered by Hugo (Fisher Stevens). Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 18 Oct. 2021 Doaks is 5 feet 11, 228 pounds, and is known as a downhill runner who has the size and strength to pinball off would-be tacklers. Omar Kelly, sun-sentinel.com, 14 May 2021 Everyone expected this one to be a shootout where points would pinball around the stadium scoreboards and tackles and third-down stops would be at a premium. Tom Noie, The Indianapolis Star, 28 Nov. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pinball.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1955, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pinball was in 1955

Dictionary Entries Near pinball

Cite this Entry

“Pinball.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pinball. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

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