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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

But, in the other direction, overflowing bins blocked the sidewalks, disgorging all manner of obstructive junk, so that the street resembled the playing field of a pinball machine. —Lauren Collins, The New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2023

Complete with an arcade of pinball machines, video games, cornhole, lightning bolt photo ops and a Skittles bouncy house, the pre-party was pure unadulterated joy. —Carla Renata, Variety, 15 Mar. 2023

Roses pinball machine back in 1994... —Gary Graff, cleveland, 21 Dec. 2020

Modern pinball machines, with enhancements like upgradable software, are vastly more sophisticated than their electromechanical ancestors. —IEEE Spectrum, 26 Nov. 2019

Inside: an ever-evolving assortment of everything from hot sauce bottles to pinball machines. —Sarah Zlotnick, Country Living, 2 Apr. 2023

An old pinball machine lives in the living room, alongside numerous plants, woven textiles and surfboards. —Flora Tsapovsky, SFChronicle.com, 9 Oct. 2020

The McKinney brothers have been called to remove everything from a pinball machine to a hot tub to an 800-pound furnace. —Sonel Cutler, BostonGlobe.com, 3 Mar. 2023

Venturini Fendi takes her final bow on an elaborate set shaped like an immersive pinball machine. —Nick Haramis Robbie Lawrence Hisato Tasaka, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2023

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Word History

First Known Use

1936, in the meaning defined above

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