pinsetter
noun
pin·set·ter
ˈpin-ˌse-tər 
: an employee or a mechanical device that spots pins in a bowling alley
Examples of pinsetter in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The three generations kept the small bowling center up to date with technology as time passed, adding eight new lanes and automatic pinsetters in 1972, an automatic scoring system in 1992, and high-definition television monitors and a lane conditioner and oil machine in 2012.
—
Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 25 July 2024
Today, the Historic Victor Bowling Alley is still operational with its manual pinsetters, a rare feature.
—Jonathan Shikes, The Denver Post, 1 Feb. 2024
Bowling alleys across the country are ditching traditional pinsetters — the machines that sweep away and reset pins — in favor of contraptions that employ string.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 22 Nov. 2023
Due to pinsetter schedules, open bowling is available by reservation only.
—Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 25 July 2023
Answer Man suspects only White bowlers rolled balls at Greenway and New Recreation, though the young men who manually set up the pins and returned the balls — known as pinsetters or pinboys — were likely to be Black.
—John Kelly, Washington Post, 10 June 2023
Advertisement The pin had been thrown by a pinsetter to replace one that had split.
—John Kelly, Washington Post, 10 June 2023
Valastro, 44, injured his hand on Sept. 20, 2020, when his home bowling alley's pinsetter malfunctioned.
—Sabrina Weiss, PEOPLE.com, 11 Oct. 2021
Valastro was fixing the pinsetter in his home bowling alley when his right hand became lodged in the machine and a metal rod impaled his hand multiple times between his ring finger and middle finger.
—Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 14 Feb. 2023
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.
Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 25 July 2024
Today, the Historic Victor Bowling Alley is still operational with its manual pinsetters, a rare feature.
—Jonathan Shikes, The Denver Post, 1 Feb. 2024
Bowling alleys across the country are ditching traditional pinsetters — the machines that sweep away and reset pins — in favor of contraptions that employ string.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 22 Nov. 2023
Due to pinsetter schedules, open bowling is available by reservation only.
—Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 25 July 2023
Answer Man suspects only White bowlers rolled balls at Greenway and New Recreation, though the young men who manually set up the pins and returned the balls — known as pinsetters or pinboys — were likely to be Black.
—John Kelly, Washington Post, 10 June 2023
Advertisement The pin had been thrown by a pinsetter to replace one that had split.
—John Kelly, Washington Post, 10 June 2023
Valastro, 44, injured his hand on Sept. 20, 2020, when his home bowling alley's pinsetter malfunctioned.
—Sabrina Weiss, PEOPLE.com, 11 Oct. 2021
Valastro was fixing the pinsetter in his home bowling alley when his right hand became lodged in the machine and a metal rod impaled his hand multiple times between his ring finger and middle finger.
—Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 14 Feb. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Pinsetter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pinsetter. Accessed 12 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share