duckpin

noun

duck·​pin ˈdək-ˌpin How to pronounce duckpin (audio)
1
: a small bowling pin shorter than a tenpin but proportionately wider at mid-diameter
2
duckpins plural in form but singular in construction : a bowling game using duckpins

Examples of duckpin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The rec center helps, too, loaded with duckpin bowling, a small cinema, and games so there’s always something to fall back on. — Jordi Lippe-McGraw, Robb Report, 9 Apr. 2026 The sport has made a comeback in the District since then, but the game is 10-pin, the bruising older brother of duckpins. — John Kelly, Washington Post, 10 June 2023 Several lanes of duckpin bowling live in a separate corner of the facility. — Kansas City Star, 31 Oct. 2025 With similar rules to 10-pin bowling, players of duckpin bowling roll with smaller balls, narrower pins, and smaller gutters. — Miranda Jeyaretnam, The Indianapolis Star, 23 June 2023 See All Example Sentences for duckpin

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1911, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of duckpin was circa 1911

Rhymes for duckpin

See All Rhymes for duckpin

Browse Nearby Words

duck pass
duckpin
duck potato
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Duckpin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/duckpin. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All