paintball
Americannoun
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 house’s roof, the front steps and the driveway were spattered with white blotches, as if the area had been the site of a fierce paintball battle.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
Generally, Bryant says, the volunteer will get into the crawl space with the bear, get behind the massive animal and scare him by yelling, clapping and sometimes firing a paintball gun.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 9, 2026
“The amount of women and men in their 50s and 60s that go nuts over paintball is unbelievable.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 10, 2025
The man confirmed to the FBI that he was, indeed, driving the vehicle when the paintball rounds were fired, the affidavit says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2025
I hated thinking about Jackie getting on that bus to Raleigh, going back to her happy life, painting her fingernails with Carol Lee, dating Scooter the paintball champion, maybe even going to beauty school.
From "Wish" by Barbara O'Connor
At least 11 roadway signs were shot with yellow paintballs, the park service said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2024
Nature conservation society Fauna Protection objected to the plan, arguing it was an untested approach and it was unclear if the paintballs could seriously harm the animals.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 30, 2022
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
The three students who were hit by the paintballs suffered minor injuries.
From Fox News ● Sep. 21, 2021
We were playing this game-within-a-game where you shoot each other with paintballs on a glacier.
From "Paper Towns" by John Green
Definitions 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.
