Pinball is a game played on a slanted table where you use flippers to keep a metal ball bouncing around, hitting targets and bumpers to score points. The ball rolls down toward you, and you slam the flippers to send it rocketing back up the table, trying to hit ramps, lights, and special targets before gravity pulls it down again.

The game demands quick reflexes and timing. You can't control where the ball goes exactly; you can only react and nudge it in roughly the right direction. When you miss and the ball drains between your flippers, you lose that ball. Most games give you three balls to get the highest score possible.

Pinball machines became wildly popular in the mid-1900s, filling arcades and restaurants with their flashing lights, ringing bells, and mechanical sounds. Each machine had its own theme, from space exploration to rock bands. Before video games existed, pinball was one of the most exciting games around.

The word also describes how something moves when it bounces chaotically from one thing to another, like how your thoughts might pinball around when you're too excited to focus. Modern pinball machines mix old mechanical parts with computer scoring and elaborate light shows, keeping this classic game alive in arcades today.