pinball machine

noun

: an amusement device in which a ball propelled by a plunger scores points as it rolls down a slanting surface among pins and targets

called also pinball game

Examples of pinball machine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The former shows a figurine of a young woman rolling through a pinball machine that throws her in different directions and down chutes, always seemingly on the precipice of falling into an abyss. —Jada Yuan, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2026

Even Stern Pinball got into the act and developed a Pokémon pinball machine. —Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2026

The tournament venue, Flippers Convenience & Arcade, boasts the most pinball machines in the state. —Jo Yurcaba, NBC news, 31 Jan. 2026

Like a ball passing through the barriers of a pinball machine, the water flows among the components as directed by 2,200 miles of canals, 2,100 miles of levees and berms, 84 pump stations and 778 water control structures. —Amy Green, Miami Herald, 9 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1936, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for pinball machine

• acetylene
• adenosine
• amphetamine
• anthropocene
• antipyrine
• apomorphine
• apoprotein
• aquamarine
• arsphenamine
• azobenzene
• buprenorphine
• chlorobenzene

Kids Definition

pinball machine

noun

pin·​ball machine

ˈpin-ˌbȯl-

: a game in which a ball shot by a plunger scores points as it rolls around a slanting surface among pins and targets