League of Legends is one of the most complex games in the worldβnot just because of its gameplay but also its language. If youβre new, youβll hear terms like gank, CS, kite, peel, and ARAM and wonder, what does that even mean?
Thatβs why weβve created the ultimate glossary of League of Legends terms. From beginner basics to pro-level jargon, this guide explains everything you need to know to understand your teammates, guides, and patch notes.
π A to Z League of Legends Terms
A
- ADC (Attack Damage Carry) β The primary damage dealer in bot lane, usually ranged.
- Ace β When all five members of the enemy team are dead at the same time.
- Aggro β The attention of enemy minions, towers, or monsters when you attack.
- ARAM (All Random All Mid) β A casual game mode where everyone fights in one lane.
B
- Backdoor β Destroying towers or the Nexus without minions, often sneaky.
- Bait β Pretending to be weak to lure enemies into a trap.
- Baron (Nashor) β A powerful neutral monster that gives buffs when slain.
- Brush/Bush β Grass patches where champions can hide.
C
- CC (Crowd Control) β Abilities that disable or hinder enemies (stuns, roots, slows).
- CS (Creep Score) β Number of minions/monsters killed for gold.
- Cooldown β The time before an ability can be used again.
- Counterpick β Choosing a champion that has an advantage over the enemyβs pick.
D
- Dive/Tower Dive β Attacking an enemy under their turret.
- Dragon β Neutral objective that provides permanent buffs (Infernal, Mountain, etc.).
- Draft β Champion selection phase in ranked or pro play.
E
- Engage β Starting a fight with abilities or crowd control.
- Elo β Ranking system for matchmaking (commonly refers to rank level).
- Execute β A finishing ability or condition that kills low-health enemies (e.g., Darius R).
F
- Farm β Killing minions/monsters to gain gold/XP.
- Feed/Feeding β Dying repeatedly and giving enemies gold advantage.
- Fog of War β Areas of the map hidden from vision.
G
- Gank β Surprise attack on a lane by a jungler or roaming champion.
- GG (Good Game) β Used at the end of a match or sarcastically mid-game.
- Griefing β Intentionally sabotaging your teamβs chances of winning.
H
- Harass/Poke β Repeatedly dealing small amounts of damage to pressure enemies.
- HP (Hit Points/Health Points) β A championβs life total.
I
- Inhibitor β A structure inside base that, when destroyed, spawns super minions.
- Int/Inting β Purposely dying or making bad plays (short for “intentional feeding”).
- Invade β Entering the enemy jungle at level 1 or early game to steal camps.
J
- Jungle β The areas between lanes filled with neutral monsters.
- Jungler β The champion responsible for farming jungle camps and ganking lanes.
K
- KDA (Kills/Deaths/Assists) β A playerβs score ratio.
- Kite/Kiting β Attacking while moving, keeping distance from enemies.
- KS (Kill Steal) β Taking a kill from an ally (often controversial).
L
- Laning Phase β The early game where champions farm and trade in their lanes.
- Leash β Helping the jungler kill their first camp without taking the gold/XP.
- Legendary β Kill streak of 8 or more kills without dying.
M
- Macro β Strategic decisions (rotations, objectives, map control).
- Meta β The current βmost effective tactics availableβ in the game.
- MR (Magic Resist) β Stat that reduces magic damage taken.
N
- Nexus β The core structure in base; destroying it wins the game.
- Neutral Objective β Map monsters like Dragon, Baron, Rift Herald.
O
- Objective β Towers, inhibitors, dragons, Baronβthings that win games.
- OOM (Out of Mana) β When a champion has no mana left.
P
- Peel β Protecting an ally (usually ADC) by using CC or zoning enemies.
- Proxy Farming β Farming enemy minions behind their turret.
- Push β Killing minions fast to advance waves.
Q
- Quest Item β Some support items upgrade after completing warding/vision quests.
- Queue Dodge β Leaving champ select to avoid a bad match (costs LP in ranked).
R
- Roam β Leaving your lane to help other lanes.
- RR (Report Requested) β Asking teammates to report a toxic player.
- Rift Herald β Neutral monster that helps push lanes when summoned.
S
- Scaling β How well a champ grows stronger into late game.
- Scrim β Practice match between professional teams.
- Smurf β High-level players using low-level accounts.
- Split Push β A champion pushing one lane alone while the team pressures elsewhere.
T
- Tank β Durable champion who absorbs damage.
- Tilt β Mental frustration leading to worse gameplay.
- TP (Teleport) β A summoner spell to move instantly across the map.
- Trade β Small skirmish or exchange of abilities in lane.
U
- Ult/Ultimate β Each championβs most powerful ability (R).
- Unranked β Account that has not completed placement games.
V
- Vision Control β Warding and clearing enemy wards to control map vision.
- Voidlings β Minions summoned by champions like Malzahar.
W
- Waveclear β Ability to kill minion waves quickly.
- Ward β Item that provides vision in a specific area.
- Winrate β Percentage of games a champion or player wins.
X
- XP (Experience) β Gained from minions, monsters, and champion kills to level up.
Y
- Yasuo Diff β Community meme when one Yasuo plays much worse than the other.
- Yellow Trinket β Warding totem trinket for vision.
Z
- Zoning β Controlling space so enemies canβt safely move or farm.
- ZzβRot Portal β Old removed item, but still a meme in community terms.
β FAQ (Rank Math Schema Boost)
Q: What does CS mean in League of Legends?
A: CS means “Creep Score,” the number of minions or jungle monsters a player has killed.
Q: What is a gank?
A: A gank is when a jungler or roaming champion ambushes an enemy in lane to secure a kill or pressure.
Q: What does meta mean in LoL?
A: “Meta” refers to the most effective champions, strategies, and builds at a given time.
Conclusion
League of Legends has a language of its own, and now youβre equipped with a complete glossary to understand it all. Whether youβre a beginner learning CS or a veteran talking about macro, this guide helps bridge the gap.
The next time someone says βwe need more peelβ or βplay for objectives, not kills,β youβll know exactly what they mean.