The research rests on clearly articulated scientific theories. The building blocks for communicating these theories are scientific terms. Obviously, communication –and thus, scientific progress –is hampered if the meaning of these terms varies idiosyncraticallyacross (sub)fields and even across individual researcherswithin the same subfield. We have formed an international group of experts representing various theoretical stances with the goal to homogenize the use of the terms that are most relevant to the field ofvisual distractionin visual search. Our discussions revealed striking heterogeneity and we had to invest much time and effortto increase our mutual understanding of each other’s useof central terms, which turned out tobe strongly related to our respective theoretical positions. We present the outcomesof these discussions in a glossaryand provide some context inseveral essays. Specifically, we explicatehow central terms are used in the distraction literature and consensually sharpen their definitions in orderto enable communication across theoretical standpoints. Where applicable, we also explainhow the respective constructs can be measured. We believe that this novel type of adversarial collaboration can serve as amodel for other fields of psychological research that strive to build a solid groundwork for theorizing and communicatingby establishing a common language. For the field of visual distraction, the present paper should facilitate communication across theoretical standpoints and may serve as an introduction and reference text for newcomers.