pinochle
noun
pi·noch·le
ˈpē-ˌnə-kəl 
: a card game played with a 48-card pack containing two each of A, K, Q, J, 10, 9 in each suit with the object to score points by melding certain combinations of cards or by winning tricks that contain scoring cards
also
: the meld of queen of spades and jack of diamonds scoring 40 points in this game
Examples of pinochle in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Active in a number of clubs, Eiler also plays shuffleboard, bocce and pinochle.
—
Penny E Schwartz, Oc Register, 18 Aug. 2025
The men played lots of cards – pinochle.
—Terry Pluto, cleveland, 25 Dec. 2022
But there are many things that bring her joy: a tight network of friends, some kept since her days at Howard, others made recently over fiercely competitive rounds of the card game pinochle.
—Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 8 Dec. 2022
The two men, both pinochle players, became close friends.
—Frederick N. Rasmussen, baltimoresun.com, 10 Sep. 2021
There’s bridge, pinochle, go fish, and even solitaire.
—Chris Hachey, BGR, 28 Apr. 2021
There were Helen and Bill, my parents' regular pinochle opponents; Maurice and Thelma, who commuted to college and later taught school with my mother; and Mary, whose husband died before her daughter, my best friend Kathy, was born.
—Debra Hale-Shelton, Arkansas Online, 16 Aug. 2020
The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out, the worms play pinochle on your snout, to be sure, but which worms?
—Veronique Greenwood, Discover Magazine, 1 Aug. 2012
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Penny E Schwartz, Oc Register, 18 Aug. 2025
The men played lots of cards – pinochle.
—Terry Pluto, cleveland, 25 Dec. 2022
But there are many things that bring her joy: a tight network of friends, some kept since her days at Howard, others made recently over fiercely competitive rounds of the card game pinochle.
—Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 8 Dec. 2022
The two men, both pinochle players, became close friends.
—Frederick N. Rasmussen, baltimoresun.com, 10 Sep. 2021
There’s bridge, pinochle, go fish, and even solitaire.
—Chris Hachey, BGR, 28 Apr. 2021
There were Helen and Bill, my parents' regular pinochle opponents; Maurice and Thelma, who commuted to college and later taught school with my mother; and Mary, whose husband died before her daughter, my best friend Kathy, was born.
—Debra Hale-Shelton, Arkansas Online, 16 Aug. 2020
The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out, the worms play pinochle on your snout, to be sure, but which worms?
—Veronique Greenwood, Discover Magazine, 1 Aug. 2012
Cite this Entry
“Pinochle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pinochle. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pinochle
noun
pi·noch·le
ˈpē-ˌnək-əl
: a card game played with two cards of each suit with 9 the lowest card
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