League of Legends Key Terminology

Whenever you begin playing a new online video game, such as an MMO, MMORPG or MOBA, you will find yourself trying to keep up to speed terminology that you have never heard before.

Each game has its own rules and ecosystem, in which a new player will encounter phrases and words which are related to the game in some way, or bear some direct significance to its gameplay, characters, map, fighting styles and much more.

Usually, there is nobody who actually sits you down and teaches you what all these new words are and what they mean, but luckily for you, we have decided to take that task upon ourselves and give you a comprehensive guide on all of the phrases and words you will inevitably come across as you endeavour in your journey through Runeterra.

So, without further ado, here is our list on all of the key terminology you will need to know in League of Legends, along with their definitions:

A challenge to a duel which usually entails a custom game between two players, most notably on the map Howling Abyss, but may also be played out in the mid lane of Summoner’s Rift.

A champion’s capability of winning trades or duels against another champion.

AA: Your basic attack or auto attack.

ARAM: All Random All Mid. It’s the little brother to Summoner’s Rift, and its name speaks for itself. All players battle it out for control of a single-lane.

AD: Attack damage.

ADC: Attack damage carry. This is usually your bot laner or marksman. They use attack damage items and are often one of the biggest threats in the game.

AFK: Away from keyboard. If your teammate says this in chat, you’re probably done for. Have fun playing four-vs-five.

Aggro: The targeting priority (or enmity) of an A.I. controlled turret, minion or monster. 

Alcove: The outer corners of top and bot lanes added to Summoner’s Rift.

AP: Ability power.

Area of Effect (AOE): An ability that can hit multiple targets at the same time.

Baron: Baron Nashor. This is the big purple boss that appears 20 minutes into a game.

Base/Base: This is where you’ll find the shop, the Nexus, and the inhibitors. If a teammate says they’re going back to base, they’re either recalling, walking manually, or about to die.

BG: Bad game. If someone writes this in all chat, they’re not pleased with the outcome of the match.

Blue buff: A buff that grants increased mana (or energy) regeneration and cooldown reduction. The buff is obtained by killing the Blue Sentinel or an enemy with a blue circle around them.

BM: Bad mannered or bad manners.

Bot: Bot lane.

Camp: To repeatedly gank a specific lane in quick succession.

Carry: A player who takes hold of the game and leads the team to victory.

CC: Crowd control.

CD: Cooldown.

Champion pool: A selection of champions a players frequently uses in solo queue or competitive play.

Cheese: An unusual champion build or team strategy that allows a player to gain momentum in the game. It’s often unorthodox and generally comes as a surprise.

Clown fiesta: A ridiculous teamfight or game where nobody knows what’s happening. It usually refers to a lower-ranked game, but can be relevant up to the highest level.

Creeps: Monsters or minions.

CS: Creep score. This is how many minions a specific player has slain in that game.

Dive: To continue attacking an opponent and pursuing a kill beneath an enemy turret.

Damage over time (DOT): An ability or attack that deals damage over time.

Damage per second (DPS): How much damage you deal per second.

Double Buff: When a player collects both the blue and red buff.

Drake: Dragon.

Elo: A rating system for a player’s rank.

Elo hell: A rank that’s difficult or seemingly impossible to get out.

Elder drake: The most powerful dragon in the game. It spawns after 35 minutes or five minutes after the last dragon is killed.

Face check: Walking into a brush without vision.

Farm: The act of killing creeps.

Fed: When a player is ahead in gold, levels, and kills.

FF: Forfeit or /ff to surrender a game.

Focus: To prioritize damage on an enemy player or monster.

GA: Guardian Angel, an item.

Gank: To flank and surprise and an enemy champion in their lane.

Glass Cannon: A set of items that allows a champion to deal high damage while sacrificing defensive stats.

GG: Good game. This is often said in chat when the Nexus is destroyed.

Hypercarry: A champion that often flourishes in the late game with scaling and a full set of items, such as Vayne.

IE: Infinity Edge, an item.

Inhib: Inhibitor. The three glowing things behind the towers in your base.

Insec kick: A play where Lee Sin knocks back an enemy champion into the fray of his allies with the use of Dragon’s Rage (ultimate ability). The phrase is named after former pro player Choi “inSec” In-seok.

Int: Intentionally feeding (allowing your enemy to kill you).

Juke: To dodge an incoming ability.

Jungler: A role where a player typically roams around the jungle and contests jungle camps.

Kill lane: A combination of champions (in the bot late) with the intent of finding kills, rather than playing a passive playstyle.

Kiting: Backing away from an enemy and dealing free damage, while simultaneously avoiding attacks.

KS: Kill steal.

Lane bully: A champion that’s specifically prominent in the laning phase of the game. They typically take the upper hand when trading and can often secure an early kill.

Laning phase: The early stages in a game where players farm to build items.

Last hit: Securing the kill on a minion or an enemy champion. This is essential to receiving gold.

Leash: When a player assists a teammate (usually a jungler) with killing a monster.

LoL: League of Legends.

Lol: Laughing out loud.

Marksman: A ranged AD carry champion.

Main: A player’s favorite or most-played champion.

Meta: The current best playstyle, strategy, or champions in the game.

Mia: Missing in action.

Mid laner: A role that tends to the middle lane.

MOBA: Multiplayer Online Battle Arena.

Nerf: To cause an aspect of the game (often a champion) to be weaker or ineffective.

OMW: On my way.

One-Trick Pony: A player who can only play one champion well.

OOM: Out of mana.

OP: Overpowered. Too strong.

Overextending: Pushing too far, often without vision.

PBE: Public Beta Environment. A test server for unreleased content and champion balances.

Peeling: Using crowd control or snaring to stop enemies from attacking a teammate.

Ping: To signal something using the ping system.

Penta: Killing five enemies within a short time period.

Poke: Damaging enemy champions while staying back at a safe distance.

PvP: Player versus player.

QQ: Used to imply someone is complaining about an issue.

QSS: Quicksilver Sash.

Ragequit: Leaving the game prematurely out of frustration.

Red Buff: A buff that grants health regeneration and causes your basic attacks to slow the enemy while also dealing true damage over time. The buff is obtained by killing the Red Brambleback or an enemy with a red circle around them.

Riot: The developers of League of Legends, Riot Games.

Scrim: Scrimmage. When teams compete in a friendly match in preparation for a tournament.

Shop: The in-game location where items are bought.

Snare: An ability debuff that slows an enemy’s movement speed or stops them entirely.

Snowball: When a champion secures an early advantage and quickly gets out of control.

Squishy: A champion that’s easily killed due to their lack of health or defensive capabilities.

SS: A shortened version of “missing.” This is typed in team chat when an enemy champion is missing from a lane.

Support: A role that tends to the ADC in the bot lane.

Synergy: How a team composition or a set of champions work with each other.

Tilt: When a player is frustrated and plays progressively worse, resulting in over-aggression and a temporary decrease in skill.

Top laner: A role that tends to the top lane.

Tower hugging: Hiding beneath a tower in order to prevent an enemy from attacking freely.

Toxic: A player who’s negative or offensive.

TP: Teleport.

Trading: Exchanging damage with an enemy, often in the laning phase.

Troll: A player who intentionally disrupts a game for the sake of humor.

Ult: Ultimate (R ability).

URF: Ultra Rapid Fire. A popular game mode that’s unavailable right now.

Vent: Ventrilo, a voice chat software that’s no longer popular.

Wet Noodle Fight: When two champions with very little damage, often tanks, fight each other.

WP: Well played. A phrase that a sportsmanlike player often says after a game.

Yi: Master Yi, a jungle champion.

Zoning: Preventing an enemy from gaining experience or gold.