League of Legends Slang and Terms You Need to Know

League of Legends is notorious for its difficulty; farming, trading, itemization, kiting, and map awareness are just a few of the many skills players must master to climb up the ranks. And, despite common misconception, LoL is not one of those “easy to learn, hard to master” games — throw a total beginner into the midst of the Rift, and I guarantee they’ll come out with a 0/15/0 KDA at least. And yes. I speak from personal experience.

And to make matters worse? Even understanding your teammates can be a battle. LoL is absolutely jampacked with lingo. Sure, there’s some self-explanatory phrases like Elo, MIA, and mid game, but most are virtually impossible to decipher if you’re not “in the know.”

Luckily, you won’t have to navigate the likes of wombo combo, x9 Yasuo, and BORK alone. We’ve created a glossary that covers every term you’ll ever come across in League. So yes, you’ll now know whether your ally is communicating gamechanging information or simply flaming you for not ganking their lane.

LoL Slang Glossary, from ADC to x9 Yasuo

This comprehensive glossary provides a quick definition of all the LoL terms and how they’re used in game. Looking for a specific term? Use the trusty “CTRL + F” method.

1-3-1

What does it mean: A strategic, macro formation that allows a team to effectively split push and apply pressure across the map.
Example: Three allies push mid, one ally pushes top and the other pushes bot. Champions that excel at dueling and/or farming, such as Jax and Akali, typically take the side lanes. “Let’s do 1-3-1.”

1-4

What does it mean: Another split pushing formation used to apply global map pressure. The formation makes it easy to secure objectives, as long as the split pusher is strong and on the opposite side of the map (if Baron is up, they’ll push bot).
Example: Four allies push one lane while the remaining teammate, who is typically fed and difficult to kill, takes another lane. “Do 1-4. Jax go bot and we’ll take top.”

1vs1 (1v1)

What does it mean: A player versus player duel. A player might ask others to “1vs1” them to prove their individual skill.
Example: “1vs1 me Riven.”

AA

What does it mean: An abbreviation of “auto attack.”
Example: “You need to AA the Caitlyn more.”

Ace

What does it mean: When every member of the enemy team is wiped out.
Example: “We just ace’d them!”

Active

What does it mean: An item effect which the player needs to manually activate.
Example: Everfrost’s “Glaciate,” Zhonya’s Hourglass’ “Stasis,” and Yumuu’s Ghostblade “Wraith Step.”

ADC

What does it mean: An abbreviation of “Attack Damage Carry.” ADCs are champions that, while squishy, have a high AD output. ADCs are also known as marksmen.
Example: ADC champions include Vayne, Tristana, and Cailtyn. “Protect our ADC in teamfights.”

What does it mean: Abbreviation of “attack damage.” Several items, runes, and abilities in the game grant AD.
Example: “Build AD.”

AFK

What does it mean: An abbreviation for “away from keyboard,” meaning a player has disconnected from the game, whether due to intentionally quitting or poor internet connection.
Example: A player becomes tilted and quits the game, leaving their team in a 4vs5 matchup. “Yasuo just went 0/4 and is now AFK, please report.” AFK can also be used as an insult: “just go AFK you’re so bad.”

Aggro

What does it mean: To become a target of minions, objectives, or turrets.
Example: “I have turret aggro.”

Ali

What does it mean: Nickname for “Alistar.”
Example: “Ali, can you help with drake?”

All-in

What does it mean: When a player or team uses everything at their disposal — including ultimates, summoner spells, and unique item effects — to secure a kill.
Example: “The Zed just all-in’d me. His ultimate, Guardian Angel, and ignite are all down.”

Aniv

What does it mean: Nickname for the champion “Anivia.”
Example: “Aniv missing.”

AP

What does it mean: Abbreviation of “ability power.” Certain runes, items, abilities, and buffs can grant AP.
Example: “We need more AP damage.”

APC

What does it mean: An abbreviation of “Ability Power Carry,” meaning an AP champion that’s played in the bot lane. Squishy but deals a high amount of ability power.
Example: APC champions include Veigar, Seraphine, Ziggs, Swain, and Syndra. “I’ll go Ziggs APC.”

Area of Effect (AoE)

What does it mean: An effect, ability, or attack that impacts everyone within a specific area. There are different types of AoE. Some are beneficial for teammates — such as heals or movement speed buffs — while others deal damage, slow, or stun enemies.
Example: AoE abilities include Janna’s R “Monsoon,” Teemo’s R “Noxious Trap,” and Singed’s Q “Poison Trail.” “Don’t chase Singed; his AoE will kill you.”

AS

What does it mean: Abbreviation of “Attack Speed.”
Example: “I need more AS.”

Autofill

What does it mean: When a player is put into a role they don’t usually play. Occurs when autofill protection isn’t active.
Example: You select “Support” as your main role and “Mid” as your secondary role. When you load into champ select, you’re instead given the “Jungle” role. “Can I Supp? I got autofilled Jungle.”

B (back)

What does it mean: Typically refers to the recall game mechanism, where a player “backs” to their base. It can also refer to the need to retreat from a fight, objective, or lane.
Example: “Going to b to get items, don’t start a fight without me.” or “Just b and don’t keep chasing, the enemy Jungler is coming.”

Backdoor

What does it mean: Destroying the enemy’s base and Nexus without them noticing.
Example: “I’ll TP and backdoor, keep the enemy busy.”

Bait

What does it mean: Pretending to be vulnerable to lure the enemy into certain demise.
Example: “You just got baited!”

Balance

What does it mean: Can refer to a fair champion matchup, or the actual methods Riot uses to make the game an even playing field (nerfs, reworks, buffs, and item changes). Some players also use “balanced” sarcastically when something in the game feels unfair.
Example: “The game feels more balanced since Riot removed Chemtech drake.” or “GG what a “balanced” champion. Well played Rito.”

Baron Nashor (nash)

What does it mean: A large, powerful neutral monster that spawns in the top pit. When killed, it grants attack damage, ability power, a fast recall, and an AoE that empowers minions. Also known as “Baron,” “Nashor,” or “Nash.” A team will often try and take Baron if they have a lot of pressure around the map and aren’t likely to be contested.
Example: “Baron’s free, Jungler come.”

BE

What does it mean: Abbreviation for “Blue Essence,” the main free currency in League of Legends.
Example: “How much BE do you have?”

BG

What does it mean: Abbreviation of “bad game.” When a player doesn’t feel the game was fair, fun, or fulfilling.
Example: “This was such a BG.”

Blind pick

What does it mean: Usually refers to early picking in champ select. Early picking puts you at a disadvantage in League, as it allows your enemies to pick champions that can counter yours. Can also be a reference to the actual “Blind Pick” game mode.
Example: “Can someone else pick first? I don’t want to blind pick and end up against a counter.” or something like “Can we play blind pick instead of ranked? I just want a chill, laidback game to detilt.

Blitz

What does it mean: Nickname for “Blitzcrank.”
Example: “WP Blitz!”

Blue buff (blue)

What does it mean: A buff gained after killing the Blue Sentinel jungle monster. The buff grants ability haste and mana regeneration. Officially known as “Crest of Insight.”
Example: “Amumu, can I take blue buff?”

BM

What does it mean: Abbreviation for “bad manners.” Essentially when a player taunts an enemy.
Example: Spamming emotes on an enemy champion’s dead body.

Boosted

What does it mean: Refers to a player that is performing significantly worse than expected. Often used as an insult.
Example: “Lee Sin is so boosted.”

Boosting

What does it mean: When a player goes on another player’s account to play ranked on their behalf and increase their MMR. Against LoL’s terms and conditions.
Example: “Report Caitlyn, clearly being boosted based on match history.”

BORK

What does it mean: Abbreviation of the AD item “Blade of the Ruined King.” BORK grants 40 damage, 25% attack speed, and 8% lifesteal. It also has a unique passive that slows targets while granting the player movement speed.
Example: A player might build BORK if they need help with kiting, evading skillshots, or are against highly mobile champions. “I’ll buy BORK next.”

Bounty

What does it mean: Typically refers to the gold you receive after killing an enemy champion. Players that are ahead, whether in kills or farm, have a higher gold value than players that are behind. As of Season 12, bounty can also refer to an objective bounty.
Example: Players with high gold bounties are usually targeted, e.g. “We need to take down the Draven, he has a 400g bounty.”

Bruiser (Fighter)

What does it mean: A champion that excels at close combat fights.
Example: Camille, Diana, Olaf, and Lee Sin are all examples of bruiser champions.

What does it mean: Abbreviation for the legendary AD item “Bloodthirster.” The weapon grants 55 attack damage, 20% critical strike chance, and 18% life steal. Its unique passive converts lifesteal from basic attacks into a shield.
Example: A player usually builds Bloodthirster when they need more sustain. “I’ll get BT next back.”

Buff

What does it mean: It usually refers to an ability, item passive, or effect that empowers you and/or allies in the game. However, “buff” can also refer to a patch change that makes a champion more powerful (e.g. their ult damage is increased).
Example: The Baron, when killed, grants a unique, teamwide buff called “Hand of the Baron.” The buff provides an AoE that empowers nearby ally minions, among other bonuses.

Bot laner

What does it mean: The player in the “bot” (bottom lane) position. The bot laner’s main responsibilities include farming, taking turrets, and hard carrying the game with damage.
Example: Players refer to the bot player as “bot laner.”

Burst

What does it mean: A sudden explosion of damage, usually consisting of multiple abilities thrown at the same time.
Example: Champions with a burst playstyle include Zed, Lux, Syndra, and Annie. Items such as Rabadon’s Deathcap can increase burst damage. “Zed does so much burst damage.”

Camp

What does it mean: Either refers to the spawn points of jungle monsters or when a player ganks the same lane multiple times.
Example: Drakes always spawn in the bot side pit. Shaco repeatedly ganks top throughout laning phase, causing the enemy top laner to fall behind in farm and gold, so: “Shaco is camping me 24/7, I need help.”

Cass

What does it mean: Abbreviation for “Cassiopeia.”
Example: “Cass do you want to swap lanes?”

Champion pool

What does it mean: The number of champions a player can confidently play. Most players have a champion pool of up to five champions, with a preference for a specific champion over others (main pick). A OTP player — one trick pony — only plays one champion.
Example: As a support main, my champion pool consists of Rakan (main), Soraka, Morgana, and Leona.

Cheese

What does it mean: An unconventional, unsportsmanlike strategy that helps a team win the match. Cheese strategies are the pinnacle of “high-risk, high-reward” gameplay; the pay off is great, but they usually backfire.
Example: “Let’s hide in the bush and cheese them.”

Comp

What does it mean: Refers to the champions in a team and how well they complement each other. A reliable team comp usually consists of a tank, carry, and a mixture of AP and AD damage. Every team comp has different win conditions. Some comps are better suited to split pushing, while others are better suited to teamfighting.
Example: A teamfighting comp would consist of champions such as Gnar, Braum, Vladimir, Lucian, and Hecarim. “Our comp is strong against theirs.”

Contest

What does it mean: To challenge the enemy team’s actions, usually associated with objectives.
Example: “We need to contest drake.”

Cooldown (CD)

What does it mean: The time a player needs to wait to cast an ability, effect, or summoner spell again after using it.
Example: A player uses “Heal” at level 3, which puts the spell on a 240 second cooldown. “Don’t engage, my heal is on CD.”

CDR

What does it mean: Abbreviation for “Cooldown Reduction.”
Example: “I have tons of CDR now.”

Champ

What does it mean: Abbreviation for “champion.”
Example: “What champ are you going, mid?”

Cho

What does it mean: Abbreviation for “Cho’Gath.”
Example: “Cho is seriously fed.”

Clown fiesta

What does it mean: When the game spirals into pure, irrational chaos. Often associated with poor plays and low elo gameplay, where anything can happen.
Example: “This game has become a clown fiesta.”

Commit

What does it mean: To not back out and “commit” to a fight, decision, or other play.
Example: “We just have to commit to Baron.”

Counter gank

What does it mean: Responding to the enemy’s gank with your own gank to turn the situation around.
Example: “Volibear counter ganked us so quickly.”

Counter pick (counter)

What does it mean: When a player picks a champion specifically because its kit (abilities) is strong against their lane opponent’s champion.
Example: A player locks in Vayne — a champion that can dish out hefty poke from a safe distance — to counter Darius in the top lane. “Vayne hard counters me, will need a gank.”

Crowd control (CC)

What does it mean: An ability or effect that interrupts a champion’s attacks.
Example: Stuns, roots, slows, charms, and knockups are all examples of CC. “Their team has so much CC.”

Creeps

What does it mean: Another term for lane minions or small neutral monsters.
Example: “Can I take the creeps mid?”

Creep Score (CS)

What does it mean: The total amount of minions and neutral monsters a player has killed throughout the game.
Example: A player kills 25 minions in lane. Their creep score is now tallied at 25.

DC

What does it mean: Abbreviation for “disconnected.”
Example: “Annie just DC’d.”

Dive

What does it mean: When a player kills an enemy champion beneath their turret.
Example: Ekko dives into turret range to kill a low-health Viktor. “Ekko just dived me. Used ult and summs.”

Damage over time (DoT)

What does it mean: An attack or effect that inflicts damage over an extended period of time instead of in a sudden burst.
Example: DoT abilities include Brand’s “Blaze,” Teemo’s “Noxious Trap,” and Darius’ “Hemorrhage.”

Damage per second (DPS)

What does it mean: The rate of damage inflicted by a player within a second.
Example: A high DPS champion like Jinx has short ability cooldowns and can use continuous attacks to sustain her damage throughout a fight. “Jinx’s DPS is insane.” Items that grant attack speed and critical damage can increase a player’s DPS.

Doge

What does it mean: Reference to “Nasus,” a champion that’s a heccin good boi.
Example: “Lock in the doge!”

Donger

What does it mean: Refers to the champion “Heimerdinger.” First coined by LoL esports player “Imaqtpie.”
Example: “Raise your dongers.”

Double buff

What does it mean: When a player has secured both the blue and red buff.
Example: The jungler kills the Red Brambleback to secure the red buff, then rotates top side to kill the Blue Sentinel and gains the blue buff.

Dragon (Drake)

What does it mean: Epic, dragon-like monsters that spawn in the bot side pit sporadically throughout the game. Players gain a buff if they slay a dragon, with the type of buff depending on the dragon’s element (Mountain, Cloud, Infernal, Ocean, Hextech).
Example: An Infernal drake spawns at 5 minutes into the game. The blue team slays it and gains a damage buff.

Dunk

What does it mean: Refers to Darius’ ultimate move, “Noxian Guillotine.”
Example: “Get dunk’d.”

Early game (laning phase)

What does it mean: The first 5 to 15 minutes of a match, where gameplay primarily consists of farming and laning against your opponent. Champions that excel at laning phase are known as “early game champions.”
Example: “We need to win the early game. We don’t stand a chance against their late game comp.” Early game champions include Darius, Caitlyn, and Talon.

Eggnivia (egg)

What does it mean: Refers to Anivia’s egg form passive (Rebirth). In the past, a player could type in the chat while in egg form and the champion name would swap to “Eggnivia.”
Example: “Eggnivia is broken.”

Elder Drake (or Elder Dragon)

What does it mean: A dragon-like monster that spawns in the bot side pit after 35 minutes, or when a team has killed 4 drakes and secured soul. Elder grants a unique teamwide buff — “Aspect of the Dragon” — that gives players bonus true damage and strengthens elemental bonuses.
Example: An Elder drake spawns. The red team secures it and gains the “Aspect of the Dragon” buff. Elder is a gamechanging objective in League, so expect comments such as “back and get ready for Elder.”

Elo

What does it mean: The system used in League of Legends to calculate a player’s rank and overall skill level. Low elo is considered Platinum and below, while high elo consists of Diamond to Challenger. League of Legends uses a modified version of Arpad Elo’s chess rating system.
Example: In the LoL community, “elo” is often used interchangeably with “skill level” and “rank,” e.g. “you don’t deserve to be in this elo.”

Elo hell

What does it mean: When a player believes they’re trapped in an elo they don’t truly belong in. The player will often blame “uncarryable teammates” and “Riot’s poor matchmaking system.”
Example: “I’m stuck in elo hell.”

Enchanter

What does it mean: A support champion whose kit revolves around buffing allies.
Example: Lulu, Janna, Sona, Nami, and Soraka are all examples of enchanters.

Eve

What does it mean: Nickname for “Evelynn.”
Example: “Eve, can you gank top next?”

Exp (xp)

What does it mean: Abbreviation for “experience points.”
Example: “How much exp until you level up?”

Ez

What does it mean: Refers to the champion “Ezreal” or an abbreviation for “easy.”
Example: “GG EZ game.”

Facecheck

What does it mean: When a player carelessly paths into the fog of war without vision. Often, this leads to the player’s demise.
Example: Jinx enters a bush without first using an ability or ward to gain vision. She’s then caught out and killed by the enemy team. “Jinx stop facechecking.”

Fall Off

What does it mean: When a champion is insanely strong in the early to mid game, but is outscaled by other champions in the late game. Put simply: the champion becomes “weaker” as the game progresses.
Example: Lee Sin, Zed, Elise, and Renekton are all early game champions that fall off late.

Farm

What does it mean: Killing minion waves or jungle camps to accumulate gold.
Example: The ADC kills a canon minion and gains 60 to 90 gold and 93 to 116 experience.

Feed

What does it mean: When a player plays poorly and gets killed several times. If done on purpose, feeding is called “intentional feeding” or “inting” (see below).
Example: A Lee Sin keeps making reckless plays and doesn’t stick with his team. He finishes the game with a 0/8/0 KDA.

Fed

What does it mean: When a player has gained a huge gold and level lead over others in the game. Fed players are extremely hard to kill as they can upgrade their abilities and obtain high-cost items much faster.
Example: Fiora repeatedly kills her lane opponent and gains a huge advantage. The enemy team — who are behind in levels and gold compared to Fiora — can now no longer fight her without using up all of their resources, time, and map pressure. “This Fiora is way too fed.”

FF

What does it mean: Meaning to forfeit / surrender the game.
Example: “FF at 20 min.”

Fiddle

What does it mean: Nickname for the champion “Fiddlesticks.”
Example: “Fiddle, drake is free.”

First Blood (FB)

What does it mean: Refers to the first kill in a match. Comes with an in-game announcement.
Example: “First blood!”

Focus

What does it mean: To target a particular enemy champion.
Example: “Focus the ADC not the tank.”

Fog of War

What does it mean: The areas of the map that a team lacks vision of.
Example: “Don’t go into the fog of war alone. It’s too risky.”

Fountain

What does it mean: The spawn point in the base, where players can heal up and buy items.
Example: “B to the fountain.”

Freeze

What does it mean: A form of wave management that involves keeping minion waves at a specific place, usually to apply pressure and stop the opposing laner from farming.
Example: You can freeze a lane by only last-hitting minions (or matching the enemy laner’s damage).

Gank

What does it mean: Flanking a lane to kill the enemy laner. Essentially, a surprise attack.
Example: “Lee Sin, can you gank my lane next?”

GG

What does it mean: An abbreviation of “good game.” Some players use it for its literal meaning while others use it sarcastically.
Example: “GG <3!”, “Vladimir fed before 10 min? GG.”

Glass cannon

What does it mean: A champion that lacks health and/or defenses but deals an insane amount of damage.
Example: Virtually all ADC champions are considered glass cannons, including Twitch, Draven, Jinx, Varus, Kai’Sa, Ezreal, and Aphelios.

GL HF

What does it mean: An abbreviation of “good luck, have fun.” Usually said at the start of a match.
Example: “GL HF all!”

GP

What does it mean: Nickname for the champion “Gangplank.”
Example: “GP is falling behind.”

Gray screen

What does it mean: Refers to player death. When a player dies, everything on the screen turns gray.
Example: “I’m used to the gray screen of death by now.”

Heca

What does it mean: Nickname for the champion “Hecarim.”
Example: “Heca’s bot side.”

Indie Company

What does it mean: A humorous nickname for Riot Games. Often used sarcastically — Riot can’t fix this urgent bug because they’re “still” a small indie company.
Example: “Give Rito a break, they’re a small indie company!”

Inhib

What does it mean: Abbreviation for “inhibitor,” the protective base structure that stops super minions from spawning.
Example: “We’re 2 inhibs down, this game is probably gg.”

Insec kick

What does it mean: A type of mechanical play on Lee Sin. Named after the pro player (inSec) that made it mainstream.
Example: “Lee landed the insec kick.”

Instalock

What does it mean: Locking in your champion without consulting with your team or considering the enemy’s comp.
Example: “Why would you instalock Vayne top? We have no tank now.”

Int

What does it mean: When a player deliberately loses the game or plays so poorly it appears as if they’re trying to throw the game.
Example: Yasuo runs it down mid while spamming “FF” in chat. “Report Yasuo, inting.”

Invade

What does it mean: When a player enters the enemy team’s jungle, often to get kills, steal camps, or secure vision.
Example: The blue team invading the red team’s jungle at level 1. “Let’s invade.”

IE

What does it mean: An abbreviation for the legendary AD item “Infinity Edge.” The item grants 70 attack damage and increased critical strike chance, plus bonus critical strike damage.
Example: “I need 200 more gold for IE.”

Juggernaut (bully)

What does it mean: A champion that, while lacking in mobility, deals an insane amount of damage in close combat and has good sustain.
Example: Darius, Sett, Urgot, and Illaoi are all examples of Juggernauts.

Juke

What does it mean: To deceive the enemy with intentionally misleading pathing. Can also refer to dodging skill shots.
Example: Flashing into a nearby bush, but making it look like you flashed over the baron pit.

Jungler (Jngl)

What does it mean: One of five roles in the game. Junglers aren’t associated with a specific lane and instead farm the jungle monsters, secure objectives, and roam across the map. Junglers always take smite.
Example: “You’re the Jungler, don’t forget to take smite.”

KDA

What does it mean: Abbreviation for “kills/deaths/assists.”
Example: “My KDA was insane last game.”

Kha

What does it mean: Nickname for the champion “Kha’Zix.”
Example: “Are you going to play Kha?”

Kog

What does it mean: Nickname for the champion “Kog’Maw.”
Example: “Let’s help the jungler, Kog.”

Lag

What does it mean: When a player experiences a latency issue, causing ping spikes and a slow gaming experience. “Lag” is also used as an insult; a player is performing so badly they must be lagging.
Example: “Soraka is brain lagging.”

Lantern

What does it mean: Refers to Thresh’s W ability “Dark Passage.”
Example: “Use my lantern.”

Last-hit

What does it mean: Landing the final blow on an enemy minion. Last-hitting grants gold and is a vital mechanic in League — miss too many minions and you’ll quickly fall behind.
Example: A player uses a skillshot to execute a caster minion. They gain 14 gold.

Late game

What does it mean: The later stages of a match, where players are (or nearly) full build. Late game usually consists of teamfights, securing objectives, and taking down inhibitors. Death timers are extremely long.
Example: “Play for the late game.”

Leash

What does it mean: Helping the Jungler kill the Blue Sentinel or Red Brambleback at the start of the match.
Example: The Jungler wants to kill Red Brambleback first (bot side). The ADC and Support wait for it to spawn, hit it a few times, then go to their lane. “Bot, can you leash me?”

Locket

What does it mean: The support mythic item, “Locket of the Iron Solari.” Locket grants 20 ability haste, 200 health, 30 armor, and 30 magic resistance, plus a unique shield-granting active.
Example: “Supp, can you build locket? Zed is one-shotting me.”

LP

What does it mean: Refers to “League Points.” Accumulating LP allows you to move up the ranks in competitive play. You gain LP when you win, with the exact amount depending on your MMR (see below), and lose LP with every defeat. You need to accumulate 100 LP to move up a division. Associated with elo, MMR, and competitive play.
Example: You win a match and gain 18 LP.

Kite

What does it mean: Dealing damage while maintaining as much distance as possible from the target. Also known as “orb walking” or “attack move walking.”
Example: CC, mobility buffs, and cancelling auto-attack animations are all ways you can kite an enemy. “You need to kite, Lucian.”

KS

What does it mean: Abbreviation for “kill steal.” When a player deals the final blow on an enemy that another player has almost killed. It can occur accidentally or deliberately.
Example: “Why did you KS me? I used all my resources.”

Main

What does it mean: A player’s preferred role and/or champion.
Example: “Can I go Supp instead? It’s my main.”

Macro

What does it mean: Refers to the strategic side of a match (the big picture stuff). Associated with objective control, shotcalling, securing vision, building team comps, lane rotations etc.
Example: “Your macro is seriously poor.”

Malph

What does it mean: Nickname for the champion “Malphite.”
Example: “Malph stop inting.”

Malz

What does it mean: Nickname for the champion “Malzahar.”
Example: “Malz do you have ult still?”

Map awareness

What does it mean: Refers to how frequently a player checks the map and makes use of the visual information.
Example: “Your map awareness is terrible.”

Marksman

What does it mean: An alternative name for an ADC champion (see above).
Example: Marksmen include Caitlyn, Kalista, Aphelios, and Ashe. “I’ll play a marksman bot.”

MF

What does it mean: Nickname for the champion “Miss Fortune.”
Example: “Do you play MF?”

MIA (SS)

What does it mean: An acronym of “missing in action.” Refers to when an enemy has left their lane and is roaming around the map. Also known as “SS” and is typically accompanied with a question mark ping.
Example: The mid laner’s enemy leaves the lane and heads bot side. The mid laner pings and types “MIA” in chat.

Micro

What does it mean: Refers to the mechanical side of the game (the technical stuff). Associated with mouse precision, landing complex combos, farming, kiting etc.
Example: “I’m better at micro than macro.”

Mid game

What does it mean: The game stage in between early game and late game. Typically ranges between 15 and 30 minutes and consists of skirmishes, taking lane turrets, and securing objectives like Baron.
Example: “We fall off late. We need to play for the mid game.”

Mid laner

What does it mean: The player in the “mid” (middle lane) position. Mid laners are expected to do a lot of damage and apply pressure around the map through roams.
Example: “Mid, can you come and use your ult bot?”

MMR

What does it mean: Abbreviation of “matchmaking rating.” The hidden statistic Riot uses to determine your relative skill against other players. Associated with elo and LP.
Example: “My MMR is pretty high.”

Mobi

What does it mean: Abbreviation for the movement speed item “Boots of Mobility.”
Example: “I’ll get mobi next back.”

MR

What does it mean: Abbreviation of “magic resist.”
Example: “Build MR.”

MS

What does it mean: Abbreviation for “movement speed.”
Example: “How does he have so much MS? I can’t catch up.”

MVP

What does it mean: Abbreviation of “most valuable player.” Used as a compliment.
Example: “Jinx is MVP!”

OE

What does it mean: Refers to the game currency “Orange Essence.”
Example: “I need 200 OE before I can unlock the skin.”

OMW

What does it mean: Abbreviation for “on my way.” Associated with the visual alert ping.
Example: “OMW, don’t engage until I’m there.”

One-shot

What does it mean: Killing an enemy champion with a single attack.
Example: “Karthus’ ult just one-shot me.”

OOM

What does it mean: Meaning out of mana.
Example: A player spams their abilities at the start of lane. They run out of mana and can no longer use their abilities to farm or attack the opposing laner. “I’m OOM, I need to recall.”

OP (broken)

What does it mean: An abbreviation for overpowered. Players typically use OP to refer to champions, items, runes, or abilities that are considered strong in the meta. Also known as “broken.”
Example: “Kassadin is so OP, it’s unfair.”

Open Mid

What does it mean: A strategy (not Riot-approved!) to get the match to end quicker.
Example: A team leaves their mid lane undefended to allow the enemy to push it freely and quickly end the game. “GG this game is over, open mid.”

Ori

What does it mean: Nickname for the champion “Orianna.”
Example: “Ori you need to farm more.”

Overextend

What does it mean: When a player paths into an unsafe area, leaving them vulnerable to the enemy’s attacks.
Example: “Jhin you’re overextending, back off now.”

Pathing

What does it mean: The movement of a player within the match. Efficient pathing saves time, helps a player farm quickly, and makes it easy to catch out enemies.
Example: A jungler’s pathing typically involves taking both buffs, followed by a full or partial clear and gank attempt. “I’m pathing top next.”

Peel

What does it mean: To protect the carry champion from the enemy team’s attacks.
Example: You block a Caitlyn ult to stop your ADC from taking damage. “Peel me please.”

Pentakill (penta)

What does it mean: When a player aces the enemy team (kills all five players within a short period of time).
Example: “You deserved that penta.”

Permastun

What does it mean: Stacking crowd control on an enemy champion to stop them from attacking and/or moving. The player feels permanently stunned (hence “permastunned”).
Example: The enemy ADC walks into Caitlyn’s stun trap. Morgana then follows up with her Q and ultimate to keep them stunned throughout the fight. “They permastunned me, I couldn’t do anything.”

Phase

What does it mean: A stage of the match.
Example: Early game, mid game, late game, and laning phase.

Pick

What does it mean: Catching and killing an overextended opponent.
Example: Janna leaves her team and goes into the jungle to ward. The enemy team collapses on her and kills her. “Nice pick!”

Ping

What does it mean: Refers to a player’s latency or the visual alerts used to quickly communicate with other players.
Example:
“My ping is spiking, I might disconnect.”
A player uses the “?” visual alert to signal their laner has gone missing.

Pink Ward (pink)

What does it mean: A common term for “control ward,” the trinket that grants vision and disables enemy wards.
Example: “Can you pink ward the Baron pit?”

Playmaker

What does it mean: A champion or player’s potential to turn the game in their team’s favor, often by setting up team fights or securing picks.

Example: Thresh is well-known for being the best “playmaking” champion out there, thanks to his versatile kit, CC, and excellent peel.

Poke

What does it mean: To harass an enemy with abilities or auto-attacks, usually from a safe distance.
Example: An Ezreal using his Q repeatedly on the enemy ADC.

Point and click

What does it mean:. An ability that doesn’t need to be aimed. It activates when you click on a target.
Example: Lulu’s W, “Polymorph,” is a point and click ability.

Pot

What does it mean: Refers to the item “Health Potion.”
Example: “I’m out of pots.”

Powerspike

What does it mean: When a champion becomes significantly stronger, whether due to an ability level up or item.
Example: “I hit my powerspike at level 6.”

Premade

What does it mean: When a player has queued up with another player or multiple players.
Example: “The jungler and ADC are premade, care.”

Priority (prio)

What does it mean: When a player is ahead in lane and can roam without being severely punished.
Example: “I have lane prio, I’ll come mid soon.”

Proc

What does it mean: To trigger a particular in-game event or effect.
Example: Guardian Angel’s passive procs if the player dies.

Pull

What does it mean: To draw out an objective with aggro. Usually, to prevent an enemy from stealing it.
Example: “Pull dragon. The enemy Jungler’s nearby.”

Push (shove)

What does it mean: To clear minions quickly to ensure the lane is pushing toward the enemy base.
Example: “Tryndamere you need to push top.”

Quickcast

What does it mean: A keybind that allows a player to cast an ability at their cursor location with one click. Formerly known as “smart cast.”
Example: Quickcast can be turned on for certain abilities (or all abilities) in the game settings, under hotkeys. “You should play with quickcast activated.”

QSS

What does it mean: Abbreviation of the MR epic item “Quicksilver Sash.” QSS grants 30 magic resistance and a unique active that removes crowd control.
Example: “Build QSS next.”

Quadrakill (quadra)

What does it mean: When a player kills four enemies within a short period of time.
Example: “That was an insane quadra.”

Rage quit

What does it mean: When a player disconnects from the game out of rage.
Example: “Lux just rage quit. Please report.”

Raka

What does it mean: Nickname for “Soraka.”
Example: “Can you go Raka this game?”

Red Buff

What does it mean: A buff gained after killing the Red Brambleback jungle monster. The buff grants health regeneration and causes basic attacks to slow and deal true damage over time. Officially known as “Crest of Cinders.”
Example: “Jungle, can I take red buff?”

Rene (Renek)

What does it mean: Nickname for the champion “Renekton.”
Example: “Take the buff Renek.”

Rito

What does it mean: A derpy nickname for “Riot Games,” the organization that developed League of Legends.
Example: “Why did Rito think Chemtech drake was a good idea?”

RP

What does it mean: Abbreviation of “Riot Points,” the main premium currency in League.
Example: “I want to buy the new Soraka skin, but I’m out of RP.”

Run it down mid

What does it mean: When an inting player runs down the mid lane into the enemy turret repeatedly, giving the opposing mid laner free kills. Popularized by notorious streamer “Tyler1.”
Example: “Draven is running it down mid.”

Scaling (scale)

What does it mean: A champion that gets stronger the longer the match draws on, typically because of their kit and/or items.
Example: Champions that scale well include Kassadin, Kayle, Veigar, and Vayne. “Kassadin is scaling hard.”

Scrub

What does it mean: Used as an insult, refers to a low-skilled player.
Example: “Nasus you’re a scrub.”

Shotcaller

What does it mean: A player that acts as the “team leader” and makes strategic calls throughout the game.
Example: “Nice shotcalling!”

Shroom

What does it mean: Refers to Teemo’s “Noxious Trap” ability.
Example: “There’s shrooms everywhere, care.”

Skill-shot

What does it mean: A projectile-based ability that needs to be aimed. Involves more skill and mouse precision than a standard point and click ability.
Example: Skill-shot abilities include Ezreal’s “Trueshot Barrage,” Zeri’s “Ultrashock Laser,” and Jhin’s “Deadly Flourish.”

Skill matchup

What does it mean: When both champions are inherently evenly matched, meaning the outcome depends on each player’s individual skill.
Example: Riven vs Fiora is a skill matchup as neither champion has a significant advantage over the other.

Skirmish

What does it mean: A small teamfight. Usually associated with the mid game, where players are starting to roam and gank other lanes.
Example: 2vs2, 2vs3, 3vs4 fights would all be considered skirmishes.

Smurf

What does it mean: When an experienced player makes a fresh account, typically to play at a lower elo than their main account.
Example: A Diamond player creates a new account to play in Bronze/Silver elo. “Caitlyn is smurfing.”

Snowball

What does it mean: When a player uses a small advantage to gain increasingly better advantages. Think of it like the butterfly effect.
Example: Katarina kills her lane opponent before level 3. She uses this lead to apply pressure and roam around the map, securing kills in other lanes.

Spin to win

What does it mean: Refers to Garen’s e ability “judgment.”
Example: “spin to win is OP.”

Splitpush

What does it mean: To push multiple lanes at the same time, allowing a team to apply pressure across the map.
Example: Splitpushing strategies include 1-3-1 and 1-4, discussed above. “Yorick, can you splitpush bot?”

Squishy

What does it mean: When a champion lacks health and/or defenses and dies easily.
Example: Heimerdinger and Lux are extremely squishy champions. They have no means of escape and lack health, armor, and magic resistance. “I’m so squishy, protect me.”

Summs

What does it mean: Short for “Summoner Spells.”
Example: Summoner Spells include “Heal,” “Ignite,” “Cleanse,” “Flash,” “Ghost,” and “Teleport.” “Jinx just used both summs.”

Support (supp)

What does it mean: A bottom lane position in League of Legends. The support’s main responsibilities are to keep the ADC alive, secure vision, and assist in teamfights. Most supports play tanks, enchanters, or playmaking champions.
Example: “Supp, can you ward the pit?”

Susan

What does it mean: Reference to Nasus. “Susan” is the champion’s name spelt backwards.
Example: “I hate Susan.”

Sustain

What does it mean: A champion’s potential to stay (and survive) in lane. Heals, regen, and armor can all increase sustain.
Example: Cho’gath has excellent sustain thanks to his kit — every time he kills an enemy he gains back health and mana. He also gets scaling bonus health from his ultimate. “Cho’gath has so much sustain.”

Sweep

What does it mean: To use the sweeper (red trinket) to clear enemy wards.
Example: “Janna, can you sweep the dragon pit?”

Synergy

What does it mean: When champions have abilities that work well together.
Example: Lulu and Kog’Maw have excellent synergy. Kog’Maw’s kit revolves around attack speed, and Lulu can buff this even further while also granting him bonus damage. “The Lulu and Kog’Maw synergy is insane.”

Tank (tanky)

What does it mean: A champion with high health and/or defenses, making them extremely hard to kill.
Example: Ornn, Tahm Kench, Malphite, Galio, Zac, and Rammus are all tanky champions. “Ornn is so tanky, how do we deal with him?”

Tilted

What does it mean: To become frustrated while playing the game. Usually, a tilted player will make impulsive, bad plays and become toxic (see below).
Example: “I’m so tilted.”

Top laner (top)

What does it mean: The player in the “top” (top lane) position. The role is associated with dueling, splitpushing, and making plays with Teleport.
Example: “I only play Top, sorry.”

Toxic

What does it mean: When a player verbally abuses others and/or exhibits inting behavior.
Example: “Why are you being so toxic?”

TP

What does it mean: An abbreviation of the Summoner Spell “Teleport.”
Example: “Top, can you take TP?”

Trade

What does it mean: When two players attack each other at the same time, often while farming. Can also refer to win trading or objective trading. The former is when a player intentionally loses the match so another player on the enemy team can win and gain free LP. The latter means taking an objective in response to the opposing team securing one.
Example:
“We win trades in this lane.”
“Report Lee Sin, definitely win trading.”
Taking Rift Herald while the enemy team kill Infernal drake.

Tri-bush

What does it mean: A Y-shaped bush with three possible directions.
Example: A tri-bush is located between the blue side’s bot turret and the pit. “Ward the tai-bush.”

True damage

What does it mean: A form of damage in League that’s immune to damage reduction.
Example: Vayne’s W “Silver Bolts, Master Yi’s E “Wuju Style,” and Gwen’s Q “Snip Snip!” all deal true damage.

Violet

What does it mean: Vi’s full name. References the Arcane LoL series.
Example: “Violet is my fave character.”

Wave management

What does it mean: Manipulating minion waves so that they end up in a particular position in lane.
Example: Wave management strategies include slow-pushing, freezing, and fast pushing.

Winions

What does it mean: When minions take down turrets, inhibs, the nexus, or champions.
Example: “Yes, go winions!”

Wombo combo

What does it mean: When a team perfectly combines their attacks and utterly destroys the enemy.
Example: Malphite lands a 4 man knockup, followed by Yasuo’s “Last Breath.”

WP

What does it mean: Abbreviation for “well played.”
Example: “GG WP!”

Zeke

What does it mean: Refers to the defensive item “Zeke’s Convergence.” The item grants 20 ability haste, 250 health, 250 mana, 35 armor, plus a unique effect that empowers an ally’s attacks against immobilized champions.
Example: “Build Zekes next Rakan.”

Zone

What does it mean: To prevent an opponent from farming and/or approaching a certain area.
Example: Poking the enemy laner whenever they try to last hit.

9x Yasuo

What does it mean: When a player feels Yasuo is inting or throwing the game so badly, every other player in the game should report him. “9x” can be applied to other champions as well.
Example: “x9 Yasuo. Ran it down mid and now AFK.”

League of Legends