pinochle

noun pi·noch·le \ ˈpē-ˌnə-kəl \

Updated on: 1 May 2018

Definition of pinochle

: a card game played with a 48-card pack containing two each of A, K, Q, J, 10, 9 in each suit with the object to score points by melding certain combinations of cards or by winning tricks that contain scoring cards; also : the meld of queen of spades and jack of diamonds scoring 40 points in this game

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Recent Examples of pinochle from the Web

He and his wife enjoyed playing pinochle, attending the theater and traveling.

— jacques kelly, baltimoresun.com, "George Barrick, teacher, portrait artist and founding member of the Arena Players, dies," 27 Apr. 2018
In pinochle, holding trump cards late in the game often leads to a win.

— david sedaris, The New Yorker, "The Mail," 26 Mar. 2018
Richard enjoyed bird watching, boating, family lake parties, playing pinochle, landscaping and drives in his classic Corvette.

— courant.com, "Harry Richard Clark," 20 Feb. 2018
Pat loved to dance, play pinochle, play bocce ball, play cards and enjoy special times with family and friends.

— Sun-Sentinel.com, "Deaths in South Florida: 10/6," 6 Oct. 2017
Unwelcome associations spring to mind of shuffleboard and pinochle, or a last grasp for a prize.

— megan o’grady, New York Times, "What Does It Mean When an Artist Retires?," 6 Oct. 2017
Mr. Henry enjoyed attending jazz concerts and playing the card games bid whist and pinochle at the Willingboro Senior Center with his friend Mary Churchill.

— bonnie l. cook, Philly.com, "William A. Henry Sr., 85, U.S. Army veteran and retired security officer," 24 Aug. 2017
Pinochle - Seniors are forming a pinochle club at the Jenkins Place Senior Center at 1 p.m. every other Wednesday.

— joanne berger dumound/special to cleveland.com., cleveland.com, "Heritage Days adds community depth to its traditional festival: Olmsted Dates and Data," 26 May 2017

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