Meanings
plural flash-balls · alternative flashball · alternative Flash-Ball
- A form of handgun that fires projectiles of rubber or similar material, used mainly by law enforcement officers for riot control.
Synonyms: defense ball launcher
- The projectile fired from this gun.
French security forces fired tear gas and flash-balls after a march through picturesque central Paris went from peaceful to provocative.
2019 January 5, “France: Year’s 1st yellow vest event brings tear gas, fires”, in APSynonyms: rubber bullet
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA form of handgun that fires projectiles of rubber or similar material, used mainly by law enforcement officers for riot control.
nounThe projectile fired from this gun.
Origin
From the trademark Flash-ball, from flash + ball.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish kumikuula-ase
- kumikuula-aserubber-projectile handgun
French lanceur de balle de défense
- lanceur de balle de défenserubber-projectile handgun
German Hartgummi-Werfer, Hartgummigeschoss-Werfer
- Hartgummi-Werferrubber-projectile handgun
- Hartgummigeschoss-Werferrubber-projectile handgun
Cite this entry
flash-ball. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/flash-ball
“flash-ball.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/flash-ball. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “flash-ball,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/flash-ball.
Source: flash-ball on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.