What does tenpin mean?
Tenpin is a noun with two closely related meanings: an individual pin used in a set of ten in ten-pin bowling, and the bowling game itself. In its more specific sense, a tenpin is a light, bottle-shaped target that a bowler attempts to knock down with a ball. A successful attempt to topple all ten pins with the first ball is known as a strike. The word is also used attributively, as in “tenpin bowling,” “tenpin bowler,” and “tenpin league.” Although the game developed in the United States and became a major form of organized bowling, the term is now used in both British and American English. “Ten-pin” is also an established spelling, while “bowling pin” may be preferable when the contrast with other kinds of pins is relevant. Tenpin is consequently useful for discussing both the equipment of the sport and the game that centers on knocking down a triangular formation of ten targets.
One of the ten pins used in ten-pin bowling.
"The ball struck the tenpin squarely and sent it toward the gutter."
When referring to the game itself, the compound “tenpin bowling” is generally clearer.
The game of bowling played with a set of ten pins.
"They played tenpin every Thursday evening."
This sense is often expressed as “ten-pin bowling.”
Use the plural when referring to several individual pins; the compound “ten-pin bowling” normally remains unchanged.
"The bowler swept the tenpins off the end of the lane."
Tenpin bowling takes its name from the ten targets a bowler tries to knock down—and a single ball can send all ten crashing at once.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does tenpin come from?
Tenpin is an English compound formed from “ten” and “pin,” directly referring to the ten targets arranged for a player to knock down. The compound came into general use alongside the development and standardization of ten-pin bowling in the United States during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It is not a direct borrowing from another language; rather, it is a transparent English coinage describing the number of pins in the game.
Related word forms
How tenpin is actually used
The word is common in both British and American English. The spelling “ten-pin,” with a hyphen, is also standard, especially in the compound “ten-pin bowling.” As a noun referring to an individual pin, it is less usual than the more specific “bowling pin.”
Easily confused with tenpin
A tenpin is a target in a bowling game, whereas a tenpenny is a coin worth ten pence.