Cs Go Lingo
The BIG CS:GO Lexicon – All CS:GO Slang & Lingo Words On this page all slang words, abbreviations and word phrases that Counterstrike players use are explained to simply understand what other people mean. The CS:GO Installer Download without Steam is compatible for Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP and Service Pack 3. It has a superfast installation. It is 100% clean from Steam game content, it’s just about playing Counterstrike. Most commonly used in CS:GO. FPS – Short for “first-person shooter.” Main esports representatives of this game genre include CS:GO, Quake, and Call of Duty. Fraggers – A player role in some FPS games that usually involves aggressively attacking the enemy and racking up kills (aka frags).
“Fnatic was able to neutralize EG’s carry in their team fight, but at the cost of a buyback and loss of middle lane control.”
If that didn’t make one lick of sense to you, don’t worry. Though the most popular games are relatively young, they’ve already developed their own deep library of esports terminology and gamer lingo that’s needed to communicate important concepts. But unraveling that terminology is far from impossible.
In fact, we make it easy to do with our detailed esports glossary – we’ve sorted through the top esports, defined the common gaming terms, and laid them out nicely here for your benefit.
So why learn all of this? Well, if you’re planning on betting on esports, you’re going to want to be able to read match recaps and analysis at the very least. The following list covers the most commonly used words and phrases that are unique to esports.
While this is a great way to get you started, it’s also a good idea to actually play the games you’re interested in so that you can connect these abstract descriptions to actual in-game actions.
Common Esports Terms
Ace – In a team 5v5 FPS (first-person shooter) game, an “ace” is when one player kills all of the opposing players at least once in a round.
ADR – Short for “average damage per round.” ADR is a metric used to judge individual esports performance and is often seen as more useful than kill/death ratios.
Aggro – In games with computer-controlled NPCs (non-player characters), aggro refers to their level of aggressiveness in attacking player characters. A player who says “I have aggro” usually means that one of these NPCs is focusing attacks on them.
Anchor – An “anchor” can either be a tank defensive player who has a primary role of protecting a certain space, or it can refer to a bad player that is bringing down a team. The use is highly context-sensitive.
AoE – Short for “Area of Effect.” The physical range across which an attack or spell has an effect.
Ban – In some games that allow teams to select hero characters, there is a “pick and ban” phase before each match in which each team gets to ban a limited number of heroes from play.
Base – In most MOBAs (multiplayer online battle arenas), the base is the starting point for each team. Destroying it or taking it over is the ultimate objective for the other team.
Beta – A game or update that is in “beta” is still being play-tested and tweaked before final release. This might be an “open” beta in which anyone can participate or a “closed” beta which is tested by a select number of invited players.
BNB – Short for “bread and butter,” this term is most commonly used in fighting games to refer to a very basic but effective combo that many players use.
Bots – AI-controlled opponents. These differ from creeps (see the definition below) and regular enemies in that they are meant to approximate the role of a human player.
BR – Another term that is context-sensitive, BR can be an abbreviation for either the “battle royale” genre or for Brazil. If it’s the former, the genre is roughly based on the film/novel of the same name and sees a lot of players competing to be the last standing in an ever-shrinking map. Fortnite is the most popular example of a battle royale game.
Buyback – A gameplay element found in some MOBAs, buyback means that dead players can speed up their respawn by paying a significant amount of gold.
Camping – The practice of sitting on an advantageous spot and milking it, usually for items or kills. For example, a “spawn camper” is someone who hovers around a fixed respawn point and tries to quickly kill players as they get back into the game.
Carry – “Carry” is a term usually applied to the team member in a 5v5 MOBA that has the lead role in attacking and killing the enemy team (thus “carrying” their own team to victory). This is often the team’s most skilled player, as the team will funnel a disproportionate amount of resources to them.
Caster/Casting – A caster can be a hero character that focuses primarily on magic spells in a MOBA, but it is also a more general term used for the commentators on match broadcasts.
CCG – Short for “collectible card game.” Games in which players battle with decks of cards that they have purchased or earned over time through gameplay. Some prominent examples are Hearthstone and Magic: The Gathering.
Circle – In a battle royale game, the circle is the currently active area of play. The areas outside of it are usually covered in a force field that does gradual and inescapable damage to anyone in it.
Combo – Any attack sequence in which one attack leads into another with no chance for the foe to escape, block, or counter it. The term is most frequently used in fighting games but is seen in other places on occasion.
Creep – In MOBA games, creeps are the computer-controlled monster characters that are primarily killed for their experience points and gold.
Denying – In some MOBAs, this is the strategic practice of keeping members of the other team from getting to needed resources by various means.
Diving – In MOBAs, a dive is an early attack on enemy territory, usually to take out a tower. The diver expects to take a large amount of damage in the process, usually doing it at a point where such a forward assault is not yet seen as prudent.
DLC – Short for “downloadable content.” DLC is usually a paid add-on to a game, such as a new hero character or map. In high-level competitions, all of the optional DLC for a game is usually available to the competitors.
Dogs – A kill streak of 10+, mostly used in Call of Duty.
DPS – Short for “damage per second.” Usually used as a metric to evaluate hero characters in games that have them. Heroes that can deal higher DPS are more ideal for direct fighting.
Draft – In team games with selectable hero characters, the “draft phase” precedes the match. In this phase, teams take turns picking characters for themselves and banning characters from play.
EXP/XP – Short for “experience points.” Primarily used in MOBA games, these are collected by killing things and gradually make a hero character stronger by raising their statistics.
EZ – Short for “easy,” with the implication really being “too easy.” Used by bad winners to disrespect their opponent.
Farm – “Farming” is the process of gathering resources, most commonly done in MOBA and RTS (real-time strategy) games.
Fighter – Shorthand for the fighting game genre. Major representatives include Street Fighter and Smash Bros.
Forcebuy – A round in which a team cannot afford to buy all of the equipment they need going in. Most commonly used in CS:GO.
FPS – Short for “first-person shooter.” Main esports representatives of this game genre include CS:GO, Quake, and Call of Duty.
Fraggers – A player role in some FPS games that usually involves aggressively attacking the enemy and racking up kills (aka frags).
Gank – A “gank” is a PvP kill of an enemy hero, but usually with the connotation of ambushing and/or outnumbering them.
GG – Short for “good game,” players customarily conclude a match with this as a sign of good sportsmanship. In some games, it can also formally indicate that one side is giving up.
Griefer – Fundamentally the same as a troll, but specific to online games. Griefers play a game just to harass other players and try to ruin everyone’s good time.
Grind – Basically interchangeable with “farming,” this indicates the process of gathering resources like gold and experience points.
Group Stage – Usually the penultimate or ultimate round of major esports tournaments, often conducted in a single-elimination bracket format (after a preceding round robin stage).
Headshot – In an FPS game, shots to the head usually do massive damage and often have the capability of killing a fully healthy foe in one shot.
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Heroes – Selectable player-characters in certain games.
HUD – Short for “heads up display.” The elements of the gameplay screen that usually sit around the main playfield and convey vital information like current player health and resource levels.
Jungle – In MOBAs, the “jungle” is the area between the three lanes. One player (the “jungler”) is often assigned as the specialist in roaming this area, gathering resources in it, and ambushing opposing players in the lanes from it.
K/D or KDR – Short for “kill-death ratio.” A metric used for expressing the individual level of play of a team member in a number of different types of esports.
Lag – Lag is a de-syncing of a player’s local action from the network they are connected to, usually due to internet traffic or a hardware issue. The player inputs are not transmitted to the game server fast enough, potentially leading to deaths that are seen as cheap or unfair.
Lane – In MOBAs, the lanes are the paths that run between the bases of the two teams. League of Legends set the template of having three lanes (top, mid, and bottom), which was carried on in Dota 2.
Last Hit – In most MOBA games, experience and gold earned from killing a creep or opposing team member are given entirely to the person who strikes the fatal blow (regardless of who dealt the most damage). This plays into overall team strategy of focusing resources on growing particular characters.
Mats – Short for “materials.” These are the items that players need to collect to build structures.
Meta – A reference to the “metagame” of an esport; the simplest way to explain this is the current strategies and techniques that are most effective at the highest levels of play.
MOBA – Short for “multiplayer online battle arena.” This genre developed from the RTS genre (particularly Warcraft 3) and fused in elements of the “tower defense” genre to create something new. League of Legends and Dota 2 are the pioneering popular titles in the MOBA genre.
Nerfing – A term used to refer to the weakening of a particular character, faction, weapon, or item in a game patch or update.
NPC – Short for “non-player character.” This is a broad term used to encompass all of the characters in a game that are controlled by the computer.
Pentakill – A “pentakill” is the MOBA equivalent of an ace – it’s when one player kills each of the opposing players at least once in a match.
Perfect – Mostly used in fighting games, refers to a round won without taking any damage.
Ping – “Ping” is a communication tool used on networks to quantify how much lag a player is currently experiencing.
Priority – When two opposing moves are made at the same time, “priority” is an invisible ranking factor in the game that determines which one will be successful.
Racer – Shorthand for the “racing game” genre. Vehicle racing games that are seen as esports include sim races conducted by iRacing and Project CARS.
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Rax – Shorthand for the barracks commonly found in RTS and MOBA games.
REKT – An abbreviation of “wrecked” used in the wake of a devastating play.
RNG – Short for “random number generator.” The unseen programming code in games that generates random numbers for all sorts of variables – for example, the chance to land a critical hit.
RTS – Short for “real-time strategy,” this is the game genre that StarCraft and Warcraft belong to. Players make strategic resource management and attack/defense decisions in the heat of the action, rather than having chess-like turns to ponder their moves. The MOBA genre is an evolution of RTS.
RWS – Short for “round win share.” Like ADS and DKR, this is a metric used to value individual player performance in a team match in certain games. For example, in CS:GO, RWS is only granted to the winning team and is based on the individual player damage share of the team’s total damage.
Safe Move – Mostly used in fighting games, this refers to any move that does not leave the player vulnerable if the opponent blocks it.
Scrub – A bad player.
Shot-Calling – In a team-based game, the “shot-caller” is usually the team leader who issues instructions to the rest of the team over their headsets.
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Skins – Digital appearance items (such as outfits and hats) that can be used to customize a player-character’s appearance. The prize pools for major tournaments are very often at least partially funded by special skin sales. Skins are also used as a circuitous means of real money wagering on esports.
Spawn – The spontaneous manifestation of a player, weapon, or item on the playfield of a game.
Split – A seasonal competition in a number of esports.
Strat – A commonly-used abbreviation for “strategy” in many esports.
Support – A type of role in team esports (particularly MOBAs), the support player focuses on things like healing and buffs. They often ride along with the carry to help them build their power and then bring the fight to the opposing team.
Tank – A player who focuses on absorbing punishment as a defensive strategy to draw attacks away from more vulnerable players.
Team Fight – The phases in a MOBA in which the two teams are engaged in multi-participant battles with each other. Usually occurs toward the later end of the match.
Tilt – A term borrowed from poker, a player “on tilt” is emotional and not playing to the best of their ability.
Towers – A defensive structure commonly found in MOBA games. Will automatically fire on enemies when they are in range.
Vanilla – The most basic version of a game, before any upgrades or DLC have been applied to it.
WP – Short for “well played.” Sometimes used as a compliment mid-match.
Zoning – When a player attempts to either stay in a particular area or to force an opponent into an area that is advantageous to them.
This page details the definitions of various CS:GO terminology used during a typical game of CS:GO.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Ace | Where a single player on a team successfully kills the entire enemy team |
| Anchor | A player who defends a bombsite and doesn’t rotate till the bomb has been spotted (or planted) elsewhere. Also used by teammates to describe the bottom-fragger/dead-weight on their team |
| Anti-Eco | When the enemy team has to eco so you purchase weapons such as SMG’s and shotguns to maximise kill rewards for that round |
| Auto-sniper, Dak-Dak, Gaygun | A player using either a SCAR-20 or G3SG1 |
| Baiting | Allowing a teammate to push into an area to enable another player to determine the locations of various players on the opposing team, usually followed up with a trade. Also when a player shoulder-peeks an angle/corner in an effort to get the enemy player to fire a shot |
| Bankroll | Purchasing Negevs or Auto-snipers on the last round of a half or game |
| Bhop, Bunny Hopping | Where a player jumps left to right at an angle to achieve a greater velocity |
| Boost | Where a player or object is used to elevate a player. Also where one player cheats in lobby of friends in an effort to push their friends into competitive ranks that are above their skill level |
| Bot | An AI controlled player. Also used to describe a player who isn’t as skilled as the rest of their teammates
|
| Burst | Firing your weapon with around 3-4 shots with each pull of the trigger for improved accuracy and maximum damage if a clean head-shot can’t be achieved |
| Buy Up, Buy Out | Where all players buy all gear, grenades and weapons on the last round of the half or game |
| Caller, Strat Caller | The player who communicates the strategies to the rest of their team
|
| Camper | A player who sits in a strategic spot (often behind an object or wall) waiting for the enemy to pass-by unaware of them |
| Carry | The top fragger who has significantly more frags in comparison to the rest of their team and is making a significant impact on rounds to ensure a victory |
| Cheater, Hacker, Script-Kiddie | A player who uses external scripts/programs to give them an advantage in-game – examples include wall-hacking, aim-bot, trigger-bot and bhop scripts |
| Choke, Whiff | Failing to get an easy/free frag |
| Close ____ | A call that points out the location of the enemy around a corner
|
| Clutch | Where the last player on a team successfully wins the round for their team, for example winning a 1v5 |
| Cocky Bankroll | Where all players in a team buyout and leave excess weapons on the ground in their spawn for the chickens |
| CoD Gun | AUG/SG 553 |
| Collateral, Collat | Short for ‘Collateral’ – where a single shot kills two or more players (typically from a weapon such as the AWP)
|
| Cross-fire | Two players (usually CT side or after-plant) holding one choke point on opposite ends |
| Deagle | Short for Desert Eagle |
| Deco | An eco round using Desert Eagles (Deagles) |
| Default | Standard team setup when no strat has been called. Also used to refer to a common plant-spot on a bombsite |
| Demo, GOTV Demo, POV Demo | A replay of a competitive match – for example GOTV |
| Dink | An enemy player who is wearing a helmet and has been shot in the head but not killed with a weapon such as an M4, FAMAS, Galil or pistols |
| Double Peek | Two players peeking a specific direction at the same time in an effort to get a trade |
| Drop | Where a player requires a weapon due to insufficient funds
|
| Dropped an X bomb | Used to describe a player who dropped a high amount of frags usually above 30
|
| Dry | No grenades being used |
| Eco | Purchasing only pistols or a few grenades to save money for future rounds |
| Entry | A frag that opens up a bombsite for the rest of the team (not always the first kill of the round) |
| Exit Fragging | Where the last player(s) on a team stand near to common bombsite exits to kill the enemy as they attempt to flee |
| Fake | Throwing utility such as smokes and flashbangs, or showing players in one area to trick the enemy team into thinking you are going there – hopefully resulting in an early rotate by the enemy thus allowing easy entry for the rest of team to gain access to the opposite bombsite |
| Fake Flash | Throwing an item such as a decoy or pistol to replicate a flashbang to cause your enemy to potentially look away |
| Flaming | A player who’s intention is to insult their teammates or the enemy players to make other players frustrated/td> |
| Force Buy, Force | Purchasing everything a player can with the money they have – normally done during crucial stages of a match |
| Frag, Kill | A confirmed kill |
| Glass-Cannon | A player using an AWP with no kevlar |
| Golden Ace | An Ace but with all frags being head-shots |
| Goosh | Head-shotting a helmet-less player but it doesn’t kill them – for example a Glock-18 head-shot |
| Griefing | Where a player intentionally tries to lose the game through various means such as team killing, committing suicide, blocking teammates or calling out their teammates in global chat for the enemy to see |
| Headshot Angle, Headglitch | Sitting or standing behind cover or situating yourself in a position where only your head is visible to the enemy |
| Hold Sites/Play Safe | As a CT with limited weapons you go for close range engagements with the T’s without peeking or pushing |
| Holding an Angle/Posting | Standing in a specific position holding an angle for an indefinite amount of time (most commonly with the AWP) waiting for a pick or a call to rotate |
| Jiggle Peek | Strafing around a corner or angle back and forth to often to bait out a shot from the enemy to determine the enemy position |
| Kappa | Often said to indicate a joke or comment that shouldn’t be taken seriously
|
| Kit | Short for ‘Defuse Kit’ or ‘Hostage Rescue Kit’. The Defuse Kit decreases the defuse time from 10 seconds to 5 seconds whereas the Hostage Rescue Kit reduces the pick-up time from 4 seconds to 1 second |
| Legged | Where a player has been shot in the leg (and lit for 85) by an AWP making the player a 1-shot kill
|
| Lit/Tagged, Low HP, 1-shot, 1-hit | Typically used to refer to a player who will die with just one hit though it can be used in a call stating how much damage was dealt.
|
| Molly | Molotov / Incendiary Grenade |
| NA ____ | An insult to describe a players action as being poor
|
| Nade Stack, Air-Strike | Where a group of players (or even the whole team) throw HE grenades in a specific direction |
| Ninja | As a CT, defusing a bomb whilst severely outnumbered by T’s without them realising – commonly used with a Defuse Kit, a smoke and sometimes flashes |
| No honour, Coward | When a player accepts a knife-only fight and proceeds to shoot the enemy instead |
| Off Angle | Holding an angle or sitting in a position that the enemy is unlikely to check or pre-aim |
| One-and-Done Spot | A position that is often an off-angle that enables the player to get one kill, but should another enemy appear they will most certainly die due to the inability to flee the one-and-done spot safely |
| One/Juan Deag | A one-tap head-shot kill with a Deagle |
| One Way Smoke | A smoke which conceals you from the enemy whilst enabling you to still see the enemy |
| Peek | Where a player moves around a corner or angle to get a visible angle on an enemy player – often done with scoped weapons such as the AWP |
| Pick | Getting a frag that gives a team a man advantage and more map control – commonly the first frag of the round |
| Plant | An instruction given to activate/arm the bomb at a bombsite
|
| Plant Safe | Planting the bomb in a position that can be seen by CT’s attempting to retake the bombsite |
| Planting for ____ | Planting the bomb in a position which is exposed and favours the T to kill the CT as s/he tries to defuse while the T is in a relatively safe spot
|
| Play for Picks/Default Setup | As a T not over-extending, trying to acquire map control and trying to wait for anxious CT’s to push giving the T’s a free pick |
| Pop-flash | A flashbang that gives enemies little time to react and turn their head away causing them to get blinded |
| Pre-fire | Firing your weapon in the direction where you expect the enemy player to appear before you can see them due to factors such as seeing a shadow or hearing footsteps |
| Push | An instruction given to make entry into an area regardless of the circumstances or consequences thereafter
|
| Quasi Buy | Purchasing just enough weapons or utility so that a full buy can be made next round |
| Raid Boss, Tank | A player who purchases Kevlar and is then dropped a Tec-9/Five-SeveN by a teammate on a pistol round |
| Rotate | Where a player leaves their position to attack/defend another position often between bombsites |
| Run-out | Where a player holds a position to enable their teammate(s) to leave another area safely
|
| Run and Gun | A player who fires their weapon whilst running (causing severely reduced accuracy), only really effective with weapons such as the P90 in lower ranks
|
| Rush, Storm | Where players run to a specific area or bombsite in the hope of outnumbering the enemy and catching them off-guard or unprepared
|
| Salty | Used to describe a player who flames players from the opposing team, often after losing a round
|
| Saving | To save all your items (such as weapons, Kevlar and grenades) for use in the next round, often done in situations like 1v5s |
| Shift, Walk | Holding down the default key for walking which is the left-shift key to prevent the enemy from hearing footsteps
|
| Shoulder Peeking | Where a player peeks an angle/corner by only showing their shoulder to bait out a shot from the enemy |
| Site Execute | A pre-planned strategy using smokes, flashes and mollies to get entry onto a site and successfully plant the bomb using good player co-ordination |
| Skins | A cosmetic pattern or design that is applied to a weapon |
| Smurf, Smurfing | A player who uses another account that has a lower rank than their main account to play against lower-ranked players |
| Solo Queue | Searching for a competitive game without anybody else (not in a lobby) |
| Spray | Holding down the trigger key resulting in reduced accuracy and high-recoil in most weapons
|
| Stacking | Where more players are defending or attacking a specific site than usual – for example having all 5 CT’s defending bombsite A |
| Strategy, Strat | Short for strategy – an instruction given usually by the team leader/caller |
| Surfing | A game-mode found on many community servers where the player ‘surfs’ around a map whilst trying to maintain velocity to make jumps. Players often compete to complete a course or to reach the furthest distance |
| Suspicious, Sus | A player who is making suspicious plays and may be using cheats |
| Tank | A player who is performing exceptionally well |
| Tap | Pressing the trigger key once at a time for the best accuracy and least recoil |
| Tilt | A player who becomes toxic and mad when they are losing or not performing well
|
| Toggle | Where a cheater switches their cheats on and off to try to cover their cheats up. Also used to refer to a player who has suddenly stepped-up their game |
| Totem | One player standing on top of another |
| Toxic | Used as a position callout on some maps or used to describe a verbally abusive player |
| Trade, Trading | Where two players commit and a teammate is killed leaving the remaining teammate with the responsibility of killing the enemy who killed his teammate. Also used to describe where a friendly players kills an enemy but is then killed by another enemy player |
| Utility | Anything that isn’t a fire-arm including Kevlar, helmet, defuse kit and grenades |
| Walling, Wall hack | A form of hacking where the player walling can see through walls and objects
|
| Wall-banging | Shooting a player through a surface such as an object or wall that can be penetrated by bullets |
| Warmup Warrior | A player who treats warmup as the actual match – buying and using nades, calling positions for teammates and spawn camping
|
| White, Blind, Flashed | A player who has been blinded by a flashbang
|
| (X)k | The number of frags a specific player acquired in a round
|
| 2-5 man | Searching for a competitive game in a lobby with friends
|
| 5k decoy | A player who uses an AWP but can’t use it effectively/misses all their shots
|
AWPer
A player who’s primary weapon is an AWP (or a scout where required). They are typically the most skilled player on the team with the AWP and are effective with the weapon in more situations than most players.
Entry Fragger
A player who specialises in getting early kills at the beginning of a round often by catching the enemy off-guard or unprepared whilst obtaining critical information at the expense of their life.
In-Game Leader (IGL)
A player who is either a natural or elected leader of the team. They are often the strat caller and are typically very skilled in reading the enemies movements and positions based on previous rounds.
Support
A player who assists another teammate in holding an area or bombsite by playing off each other without much communication. Support players also set-up smokes and flashes ready for an entry.
Lurker
A player who is skilled in sneaking up behind the enemy to determine where the enemy is going and communicating this information back to their team. Lurkers also sit in corners/places that most players don’t check when rotating allowing the lurker to kill some of the enemies before they reach the bombsite.
Acronyms
| Abbreviation | Definition |
|---|---|
| BM | Bad Manners |
| CT | Counter-Terrorist |
| EZ | Easy |
| FF | Friendly Fire |
| GG | Good Game |
| GH | Good Half |
| GJ | Good Job |
| GLHF | Good Luck Have Fun |
| GOTV | Global Offensive Television |
| HF | Have Fun |
| HP | Health Points |
| K/D | Kill/Death (ratio) |
| LMS | Last Man Standing |
| L2P | Learn To Play |
| NS | Nice Shot |
| NT | Nice Try |
| NW | Need Weapon |
| PUG | Pick Up Game |
| T | Terrorist |
| TK | Team Kill |
| UL | Unlucky |
| WP | Well Played |
| /s | Sarcasm |
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