pinball

English

Etymology

From pin + ball

Noun

pinball (countable and uncountable, plural pinballs)

  1. (games) A game, played on a device with a sloping base, in which the player operates a spring-loaded plunger to shoot a ball, between obstacles, and attempts to hit targets and score points.
  2. The ball used in pinball.
  3. (figuratively, soccer) A situation where a ball is frantically kicked between many players.
    • 2011 January 15, Saj Chowdhury, “Man City 4 - 3 Wolves”, in BBC:
      The opener came from a Jarvis ball which struck Aleksandar Kolarov en route to a lively round of pinball between City players before it was poked in by Milijas.

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

pinball (third-person singular simple present pinballs, present participle pinballing, simple past and past participle pinballed)

  1. (intransitive) To dart about rapidly.
    • 1996, Peter Applebome, Dixie Rising: How the South is Shaping American Values, Politics and Culture
      Like most immigrants, Gibbs came South for economic reasons and soon found himself pinballing around a world circumscribed by the hot growth markets...
    • 2004, David Baldacci, Hour Game
      They went off the road and pinballed alongside a stretch of guardrail as the Bambis scattered.

Translations

See also


Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from English pinball.

Pronunciation

  • (Brazil) IPA(key): /pĩ.ˈbɔw/

Noun

pinball m (plural pinballs)

  1. (games) pinball (an arcade game)

Spanish

Noun

pinball m (plural pinballs)

  1. pinball
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