pinball machine

noun

|Updated on: 16 Aug 2018

Definition of pinball machine

: 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

See pinball machine defined for kids

Recent Examples of pinball machine from the Web

No stroll on the Boardwalk is complete without a visit to the Silverball Museum, home to more than 600 pinball machines.

— devin alessio, ELLE Decor, "Weekend Getaway: Asbury Park, NJ," 31 July 2016
The 21-and-over bar features arcade games and pinball machines from the '80s and '90s.

— sarah gish, kansascity, "It's true: The ShowBiz Pizza robot band is back, at a retro arcade bar | The Kansas City Star," 22 May 2018
In reality, Fortnite is not that different from past youth-centric cultural crazes, from Minecraft to Donkey Kong to Atari to pinball machines.

— alex salkever, Fortune, "Fortnite Is Poised to Rule the Summer. Are Parents Prepared?," 5 July 2018
The old space, once accessible from Couch Street, was once tightly packed with arcade cabinets and pinball machines.

— eder campuzano, OregonLive.com, "4 things we learned from a tour of Ground Kontrol's major expansion," 7 June 2018
The Dark Mystery may go dark, the pinball machines could stop flashing and whirring, a tiny circus may leave town, the lights could go out around the exact replica of Jeannie, the Living Half Girl, and Sinister Sal’s mad laugh could be silenced.

— carl nolte, San Francisco Chronicle, "The fun may be about to end for Playland-Not-at-the-Beach," 23 Mar. 2018
My wife loves the pinball machines and works her way down the aisles.

— kim windyka, Daily Intelligencer, "The 9 Best Offbeat Museums to Visit in Las Vegas," 16 June 2018
For more details on Benny's Spaceship Adventure's programming, the challenges Bre faced during the build, and her thoughts on using Lego for a pinball machine, read the write-up at The Brother's Brick.

— aurich lawson, Ars Technica, "A functional pinball machine made entirely from Lego bricks," 10 May 2018
Some of these companies also produced slot machines, and pinball machines blurred the line between gaming and gambling devices in those early years.

— ryan smith, Chicago Reader, "The First Family of pinball: Meet the local wizards behind the game's huge resurgence," 3 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pinball machine.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.