pinball machine

American  

noun

1. the tablelike, usually coin-operated machine on which pinball is played.

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Etymology

Origin of pinball machine

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

Perhaps it is not surprising, then, that, to a lonely young man, a pinball machine might seem to have its own “temperament and moods,” but then technology is often perceived as emotional.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

The Fed slowed QT because the standing repo facility, their emergency lending window, started lighting up like a pinball machine.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 5, 2025

The original 1993 Broadway musical, with its flying Tommy and galloping pinball machine, was a visual groundbreaker, warmed by excellent performances.

From New York Times • Mar. 28, 2024

Because particles have a charge, their flight path resembles a ball in a pinball machine as they zigzag against the electromagnetic fields through the cosmic microwave background.

From Science Daily • Nov. 23, 2023

They jumped off the bench, ran to the pinball machine, and pushed each other, trying to pull on the handle.

From "Breaking Through" by Francisco Jiménez