pinball

noun, verb — 4 senses

pinball

noun

/ˈpɪnˌbɔːl/

Etymology From pin + ball.

1

Games A game, played on a device with a sloping base (a pinball machine), 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

Ball games, Games, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Soccer, Sports Figuratively A situation where a ball is frantically kicked between many players.

  • 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.2011 January 15, Saj Chowdhury, “Man City 4 - 3 Wolves”, in BBC:
Synonyms
silver ball
Derived terms
pinballer, pinball machine

pinball

verb

Etymology From pin + ball.

1

To dart about rapidly.

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

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.