pinsetter

noun

pin·​set·​ter ˈpin-ˌse-tər How to pronounce pinsetter (audio)
: an employee or a mechanical device that spots pins in a bowling alley

Examples of pinsetter in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The three generations kept the small bowling center up to date with technology as time passed, adding eight new lanes and automatic pinsetters in 1972, an automatic scoring system in 1992, and high-definition television monitors and a lane conditioner and oil machine in 2012. Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 25 July 2024 Today, the Historic Victor Bowling Alley is still operational with its manual pinsetters, a rare feature. Jonathan Shikes, The Denver Post, 1 Feb. 2024 Bowling alleys across the country are ditching traditional pinsetters — the machines that sweep away and reset pins — in favor of contraptions that employ string. Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 22 Nov. 2023 Due to pinsetter schedules, open bowling is available by reservation only. Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 25 July 2023 Answer Man suspects only White bowlers rolled balls at Greenway and New Recreation, though the young men who manually set up the pins and returned the balls — known as pinsetters or pinboys — were likely to be Black. John Kelly, Washington Post, 10 June 2023 Advertisement The pin had been thrown by a pinsetter to replace one that had split. John Kelly, Washington Post, 10 June 2023 Valastro, 44, injured his hand on Sept. 20, 2020, when his home bowling alley's pinsetter malfunctioned. Sabrina Weiss, PEOPLE.com, 11 Oct. 2021 Valastro was fixing the pinsetter in his home bowling alley when his right hand became lodged in the machine and a metal rod impaled his hand multiple times between his ring finger and middle finger. Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 14 Feb. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pinsetter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1958, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pinsetter was in 1958

Dictionary Entries Near pinsetter

Cite this Entry

“Pinsetter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pinsetter. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

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