pachinko

[ puh-ching-koh ]

/ pəˈtʃɪŋ koʊ /

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noun

a Japanese pinball game played on a vertical machine in which slots struck by the player's ball release other balls that in turn are exchanged for noncash prizes.

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Origin of pachinko

1950–55; <Japanese, equivalent to pachin click! (imitative) + -ko diminutive suffix

Words nearby pachinko

pacey, pacha, pachalic, Pachelbel, Pa Chin, pachinko, pachisi, Pachmann, Pachomius, pachouli, pachuca

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pachinko in a sentence

Some citizens kill their times in local Japanese gambling shops, called pachinko parlors, or drinking heavily.
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British Dictionary definitions for pachinko

pachinko

/ (pəˈtʃɪŋkəʊ) /

noun

a Japanese game similar to pinball

Word Origin for pachinko

C20: possibly from Japanese pachin, imitative of the sound of a ball being fired by a trigger

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012