paintball
Americannoun
-
paintballs
plural
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of paintball
Explanation
Paintball is a game in which players shoot harmless pellets full of colored dye at each other. Some people play paintball in teams, mimicking a military-style battle. During a paintball game, players use paintball markers, also known as paintball guns, to shoot capsules of paint at each other. Most people play for fun, although there are also official paintball leagues and teams, complete with organized tournaments. The US military has even used paintball as a way for soldiers to train for battle. The game of paintball was invented in 1981, and the first matches were played in New Hampshire.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The party was at a paintball venue, so the assistant drafted and sent a text to each parent with a release form to sign.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Omar al-Bayoumi and Anwar al-Awlaki were involved in paintball sessions in San Diego for at least three years in the late 1990s and very early 2000s.
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026
If the team had invested any actual energy into brainstorming this entry, they’d have played paintball with a sniper drone.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
As he ambled toward the woods, West yelled “Hey bear, get out of here bear, go!” and fired powder balls from a paintball gun at him.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 17, 2025
Bud hands each of us a paintball gun, and I load mine.
From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth
At least 11 roadway signs were shot with yellow paintballs, the park service said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2024
Wolves in parts of the Netherlands can be shot with paintballs in a bid to make them less tame, authorities say.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2022
Department officials and local police have tried to “haze” the bear with paintballs, bean bags, sirens and Tasers, but he is too drawn to humans and their food to stay away for long.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 21, 2022
The football players "shot thousands of paintballs" and had fun, according to the owner.
From Fox News ● Aug. 31, 2021
Uriah takes one of the paintballs from his gun and squeezes it between his thumb and index finger.
From "Divergent" by Veronica Roth
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
