English

Noun

pinball ‎(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

• pinball machine

Translations

Verb

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

1. 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

• bagatelle
• pachinko

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowing from English pinball.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /pĩ.ˈbɔw/

Noun

pinball m (plural pinballs)

1. (games) pinball (an arcade game)