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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Her shock is conveyed in a progression that pinballs from C-sharp major to A major by way of an E dominant seventh—a wacky jolt worthy of Berlioz. Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2024 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 See all Example Sentences for pinball 

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 7 Dec. 2024.

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