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pinball

[ pin-bawl ]

noun

  1. any of various games played on a sloping, glass-topped table presenting a field of colorful, knoblike target pins and rails, the object usually being to shoot a ball, driven by a spring, up a side passage and cause it to roll back down against these projections and through channels, which electrically flash or ring and record the score.


pinball

/ ˈpɪnˌbɔːl /

noun

    1. a game in which the player shoots a small ball through several hazards on a table, electrically operated machine, etc
    2. ( as modifier )

      a pinball machine

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Word History and Origins

Origin of pinball1

An Americanism dating back to 1880–85; pin + ball 1
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Example Sentences

He built a storage facility on his property to store his 1,000 machines, and hosted pinball parties, called “Fun Nights.”

He’ll be fixing up and adding games there gradually, and people will get to experience the history not just of pinball but of Arnold’s own path.

It’s a pretty broad range, all told, from pinball to battling robots to claw machines.

Simulating the pinball as it bounced off the wall wasn’t too tricky — the ball simply reflected off the wall so that the angle it made with respect to the wall didn’t change.

A single pinball starts 2 inches from the wall and 2 inches from the center of the circle.

Asteroids, at the moment I am writing, is the most popular coin-operated game—video, pinball, or other—in the United States.

The lure and addiction of gaming—which went back to pinball, of course—became a sensation with Asteroids.

In fact, it was by way of pinball that Fisher came to Asteroids in the first place.

At its best, the education “system” is about as organized as a pinball machine.

Not so long ago, pinball machines were as much a fixture in French cafés as coffee and Calvados.

Later, in the Recreation Lounge, Ringg challenged him to a game with one of the pinball machines.

Resolutely, Bart turned his back on the bewitching colors, and bent over the pinball machine.

We just did a test yesterday and if he inspects this place now, we won't get enough money to build a pinball machine.

From pinball games to tennis and skiing, from virtual bowling to virtual football, our thoughts make new experiences possible.

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pin back one's earspinballer