Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

pinball

/ˈpɪnˌbɔːl/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.10 in modern English

Syllables: pin-ball
IPA: /ˈpɪnˌbɔːl/

11

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

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.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

The ball used in pinball.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A situation where a ball is frantically kicked between many players.

Countable; Uncountable

verb

To dart about rapidly.

Intransitive verb

Example Sentences

"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."
"Like most immigrants, Gibbs came South for economic reasons and soon found himself pinballing around a world circumscribed by the hot growth markets..."
"They went off the road and pinballed alongside a stretch of guardrail as the Bambis scattered."

Etymology

From pin + ball.

Usage

Inflected Forms

pinballs (plural) pinballs (present, singular) pinballing (participle, present) pinballed (participle, past) pinballed (past)

Derived Forms

pinballer

Phrases

pinball machine

Frequently Paired Words

bagatelle pachinko

Synonyms

silver ball pinball game

Questions

How do you pronounce pinball?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈpɪnˌbɔːl/.
What does pinball mean?: 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.
Where does pinball come from?: From pin + ball.

How to pronounce pinball

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “pinball”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈpɪnˌbɔːl/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “pinball”.
Repeat and practice — Say “pinball” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.