48 paintball terms explained, including bunkering, chrono, hopper, snake and speedball, each with a short definition.
Walk onto a field for the first time and the paintball terminology arrives faster than the paint does. Some of it is gear, some of it is field layout, and the rest is shouted mid-game. The words related to paintball below cover the marker and everything bolted to it, and the words associated with paintball tactics explain what your team is actually asking you to do. The paintball glossary at the end is the version you can read before your first walk-on session.
Must-Know Paintball Terms, Phrases and Slang:
- Bunker
- Chrono
- Dead box
- Elimination
- Flag station
- Goggles
- Hopper
- Marker
- Paint check
- Rampage
- Sniper
- Surrender
- Tippmann
- Walk-on
- X-ball
- Airball
- Barrel plug
- Breakout
- Camouflage
- Dorito
- Flank
- Gilly suit
- Mercy rule
- Pod
- Ramp
- Reload
- Splat
- Suppression fire
- Tournament
- Woodsball
Paintball Glossary: Every Term A to Z
| Term | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Airball | A field laid out with inflatable bunkers that can be moved and reconfigured. Fast, symmetrical and the standard for tournaments. |
| Barrel plug | A plug pushed into the barrel off the field so nothing can leave it accidentally. Modern fields more often use a barrel sock. |
| Bonus ball | Shooting a player who is already eliminated and walking off. It is against the rules everywhere and a fast way to be sent home. |
| Bounce | A paintball that hits without breaking, so no mark is left and the player stays in the game. |
| Break | What a paintball does on impact. A ball that breaks and leaves a solid mark counts as a hit. |
| Breakout | The opening sprint of a point, when both teams run from their start positions to the bunkers they want. |
| Bunker | Any object used for cover, from a fallen log in the woods to an inflatable shape on a tournament field. |
| Bunkering | Running up to an opponent's bunker and shooting them at close range. Effective, and the reason surrender rules exist. |
| Camouflage | Clothing patterned to blend into the surroundings. Genuinely useful in woodsball, useless on an airball field. |
| Chrono | Short for chronograph, the device that measures how fast a marker shoots. Fields cap velocity, typically around 280 to 300 feet per second. |
| CO2 | Liquid carbon dioxide used to power mechanical markers. Cheap and common, but pressure swings with temperature. |
| Dead box | The area where eliminated players wait out the rest of the round. |
| Dorito | A triangular inflatable bunker, named for the shape. Doritos usually line the outside lanes of an airball field. |
| Elimination | Being hit by a paintball that breaks and marks you, which takes you out of the round. |
| Feed neck | The collar on top of the marker that the hopper clamps into. |
| Flag station | The base each team starts from in capture the flag formats, where the flag hangs and has to be returned. |
| Flank | Moving wide around the side of the field to attack an opponent from an angle they are not covering. |
| Gilly suit | A shaggy suit built to imitate foliage, worn by players who plan to stay still and unseen in woodsball. |
| Goggles | The mandatory eye and face protection. They stay on for as long as you are anywhere near live play, with no exceptions. |
| Hopper | The container on top of the marker that holds paintballs and feeds them down into it. |
| HPA | High pressure air, the compressed air system that has largely replaced CO2 in competitive play because it is far more consistent. |
| Lane | A line of fire held across a gap in the field. Laning the break means filling that line with paint as opponents run through it. |
| Loader | Another word for the hopper, particularly the powered kind that pushes paint into the marker at a set rate. |
| Marker | The paintball gun. The word came from its agricultural origin as a tool for marking trees and livestock. |
| Mask | The goggle system covering eyes, face and ears. Mask and goggles are used interchangeably. |
| Mercy rule | A rule ending a game once one team's lead is beyond reach, so nobody is kept on the field just to be shot at. |
| Overshoot | Continuing to fire at a player who is already clearly hit. Poor sportsmanship and normally a penalty. |
| Paint check | A call for a referee to come and check whether a player is marked and therefore out. |
| Pod | A hard tube of spare paintballs carried on a harness, used to reload the hopper without leaving cover. |
| Ramp | The general name for that mode, where the marker ramps up to a higher rate of fire after a set number of fast trigger pulls. |
| Rampage | A firing mode on some electronic markers that keeps a high rate of fire going once the trigger has been pulled quickly a few times. |
| Ref | The field official who calls hits, checks paint and enforces the rules. Their decision on the field is final. |
| Regulator | The component that steps tank pressure down to the working pressure the marker needs, keeping velocity steady shot to shot. |
| Reload | Filling the hopper back up from a pod, usually done crouched behind a bunker while a teammate covers the lane. |
| Run-through | Sprinting straight through an opponent's position while firing, rather than stopping to trade shots. |
| Snake | The long, low bunker running down one side of an airball field, played crouched or crawling. |
| Sniper | A player who works at distance with a longer barrel and a patient, hidden style. Effective in woodsball, out of place in speedball. |
| Speedball | The fast tournament format played on a small symmetrical field with inflatable bunkers and short points. |
| Splat | The mark a broken paintball leaves. A solid splat is the evidence a referee looks for. |
| Squeegee | The tool used to swab a broken ball out of the barrel so the marker shoots straight again. |
| Suppression fire | Shooting steadily at a position to pin the player there while teammates move. |
| Surrender | Offering an opponent at very close range the chance to give up rather than taking the shot. A courtesy rule that prevents injuries. |
| Tippmann | A long-established maker of paintball markers, known for rugged mechanical designs that rental fields and beginners rely on. |
| Tournament | An organized competition, running from small local series up to professional leagues, each with its own rules and formats. |
| Walk-on | A player who turns up alone rather than with a booked group, and gets mixed into teams on the day. |
| Wipe | Rubbing paint off to pretend you were never hit. It is straightforward cheating and gets players ejected. |
| Woodsball | Paintball played in natural terrain, with bigger fields, longer games and scenario-style objectives. |
| X-ball | A competitive format played in timed points on a symmetrical field, with teams racking up points across a match rather than a single winner-takes-all game. |
#1 Bunker
A field obstacle that players use for cover during the game, ranging from natural terrain to manmade structures. Bunkers are strategic spots that can provide significant advantages or disadvantages in play.
#2 Chrono
Short for “chronograph,” which is a device used to measure the velocity of a paintball as it leaves the barrel. Players must chrono their markers to ensure shots are within safe speed limits, typically under 300 feet per second.
#3 Dead Box
An area designated for eliminated players to wait after they have been tagged out of the game. The dead box helps prevent confusion and accidental re-entry into active play.
#4 Elimination
Occurs when a player is struck by a paintball that leaves a solid mark, thus removing them from the current round. Eliminations are how teams gain an advantage and ultimately win the game.
#5 Flag Station
The starting point for each team in a capture the flag style of paintball game. The objective is to retrieve the opposing team’s flag from their station and return it to your own.
#6 Goggles
Mandatory safety equipment designed to protect the eyes and face during play. Paintball goggles are impact-resistant and should never be removed during a game for safety reasons.
#7 Hopper
A container that attaches to the top of a paintball marker and holds multiple paintballs, feeding them into the gun for firing. Hoppers come in various designs, impacting loading speed and capacity.
#8 Marker
In paintball, a “marker” is the term used for the paintball gun. It is the device used to shoot paintballs at opponents. The technology can vary widely, from simple mechanical markers to sophisticated electronic ones that offer rapid fire and other enhanced features.
#9 Paint Check
A request for an official to verify if a player has been hit by paint, which would confirm elimination from the round. Essential for maintaining fair play and confirming hits that may not be felt by the player.
#10 Rampage
A mode available on some electronic markers allowing a higher rate of fire after several rapid shots. It’s controversial as it can offer a competitive edge by maintaining a consistent high rate of fire.
#11 Sniper
A player who specializes in long-distance shots, often using a marker with a longer barrel for accuracy. They excel in stealth and precision, aiming to pick off opponents from a distance without being detected.
#12 Surrender
A safety rule allowing a player to offer an opponent the chance to surrender before being shot at close range. It’s a courtesy to prevent injury and promote sportsmanship in tense close-quarters encounters.
#13 Tippmann
A well-known manufacturer of paintball markers and equipment renowned for their durability and reliability. A favorite among beginners and advanced players for their quality and performance.
#14 Walk-on
A player who shows up to play without being part of a pre-arranged group or event. Walk-ons can join open sessions and are often mixed with other solo players to form teams.
#15 X-ball
X-ball is a competitive, fast-paced format of paintball that is played on a symmetrical field with inflatable bunkers. It is known for its short, intense games and a format that involves multiple points (similar to rounds) where teams try to capture the opposing team’s flag while defending their own.
#16 Airball
Airball refers to a style of paintball game played on fields with temporary, inflatable bunkers. These bunkers can be quickly set up and reconfigured for different game types, making it popular for tournaments and competitive play. Airball games are fast and require good team tactics due to the lack of permanent cover.
#17 Barrel plug
A safety device inserted into the paintball marker’s barrel when not in play to prevent accidental discharge of paintballs. This small piece is crucial for ensuring that no one gets hurt by unintended shots.
#18 Breakout
The initial move or strategy a team employs as a game begins, where players rush to advantageous positions on the field. It’s a critical moment in setting the tone and potential success for the round.
#19 Camouflage
The clothing and gear designed with patterns that blend into the playing environment, making players less visible to opponents. In woodsball, well-designed camouflage can give a significant tactical advantage.
#20 Dorito
A term used to describe an inflatable bunker shaped like a triangle or the snack chip it’s named after. Doritos are strategically used on the field for cover and maneuvering during games.
#21 Flank
A tactical move involving players going around the sides of the field to attack opponents from the side or behind. Flanking can catch the enemy off guard and change the game’s dynamic.
#22 Gilly suit
A specialized suit designed to mimic the heavy foliage of a natural environment, making a player almost invisible in woodsball scenarios. It’s a favorite gear choice among snipers and stealth players.
#23 Mercy rule
A rule applied in some paintball games or tournaments that ends the game once a team has an insurmountable lead. It’s meant to promote sportsmanship by preventing unnecessary humiliation.
#24 Pod
A portable container used to carry extra paintballs during a game. Players use pods to reload their hoppers in the field quickly, ensuring they have ample ammunition for sustained play or intense firefights.
#25 Ramp
A firing mode on electronic markers that increases the rate of fire after the trigger is pulled a number of times in succession. Ramp mode allows players to maintain a high rate of fire with less trigger effort, often used in competitive scenarios.
#26 Reload
The action of replenishing a paintball gun’s hopper or magazine with more paintballs. A quick reload is crucial in the heat of battle, allowing players to keep their markers ready and avoid being caught empty-handed.
#27 Splat
The mark left by a paintball after it breaks upon hitting a player or an object. The splat serves as visual confirmation of a hit, and in many game formats, it is used to determine a player’s elimination.
#28 Suppression fire
A tactic where a player shoots continuously towards an opponent’s position to keep them pinned down. Suppression fire is used to restrict an enemy’s movement, provide cover for teammates, or gain a strategic advantage.
#29 Tournament
An organized competitive event where teams or individual players compete in various paintball games. Tournaments often have specific rules and formats and can range from local club matches to international professional championships.
#30 Woodsball
Woodsball is a format of paintball that is played in natural outdoor settings such as wooded areas, which provide natural terrain and obstacles. It often involves larger areas and longer game times compared to other types of paintball. Woodsball games can include a variety of scenarios and strategies that mimic military operations or capture-the-flag style objectives.
FAQ
What is a paintball gun called?
A marker. The word goes back to the original use of the device, marking trees and livestock, and it stuck once the game grew out of that.
What do you call a player who runs up and shoots an opponent at close range?
That is bunkering, running an opponent out of the bunker they are hiding behind. Because it happens at very short range, most fields have a surrender rule that lets you offer the player a chance to give up first.
What are paintball players called?
Players, or paintballers. Someone who shows up alone rather than with a booked group is a walk-on, and the official who calls hits is a ref.
What is it called when a paintball hits but does not break?
A bounce. Because no mark is left, the player stays in the game. If nobody is sure, a paint check settles it.
What is the difference between speedball and woodsball?
Speedball is played on a small symmetrical field of inflatable bunkers with short, fast points. Woodsball is played in natural terrain, with larger fields, longer games and objective-based scenarios.
What does it mean to wipe in paintball?
Wiping means rubbing paint off yourself to stay in the game after being hit. It counts as cheating and normally ends a player’s day.
They group into gear (marker, hopper, pod, mask, chrono), field features (bunker, snake, dorito, dead box) and tactics (breakout, flank, bunkering, suppression fire). The paintball glossary above lists all of them.
What are some Paintball terms for beginners?
“Bunker,” “Marker,” and “Hopper” are some Paintball terms beginners should start with. Understanding these helps with the basic mechanics and equipment knowledge in the game.
What are some funny Paintball terms?
“Dorito,” “Splat,” and “Gilly suit” are some funny Paintball terms. They add levity to the game, with references to the shape of bunkers, sound of paint impact, and humorous camouflage wear.
What is a famous Paintball phrase?
“Paint check!” is a famous Paintball phrase. It calls for a referee to verify if a player has been hit, impacting whether they’re out of the game.
