pinball

A game in which you keep a metal ball moving around a machine to score points.

• We played pinball after school.
• This old pinball machine still works.
• How many points did you score at pinball?

Common phrases: play pinball, pinball machine, pinball table

The small metal ball that moves around inside an arcade machine.

• The pinball rolled towards the flipper.
• A silver pinball bounced off the bumper.
• Two pinballs were stuck inside the machine.

Common phrases: steel pinball, rolling pinball

A confused moment in a game when many players quickly kick the ball between them.

• There was pinball in the penalty area.
• The goal followed a brief spell of pinball.
• The match ended with frantic pinball near our goal.

Similar words: scramble

Common phrases: penalty-box pinball, brief pinball

To move quickly in different directions, often hitting things along the way.

• The child pinballed around the room.
• I pinball between meetings all morning.
• The cyclist pinballed through the crowded street.

How to use it: pinball between things (The ball pinballed between the walls.)

Similar words: bounce around, dart around

Common phrases: pinball around, pinball between something