Top 100 League of Legends Terminology That Every Player Should Know

Understanding the League of Legends terms is as crucial as gameplay. This glossary unravels the A-Z of the most frequently used LoL key terms that every League of Legends player should know, enhancing your communication and strategy on the Rift. Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned player, mastering this language is crucial to your success in the game.

For quick navigation or to find a specific League of Legends slang terms, we suggest using the Ctrl + F function. This handy shortcut will help you effortlessly locate precisely what you're searching for within the dictionary.

AA (Auto or Auto Attack): Basic attack.

ADC (Attack Damage Carry): A champion role focused on dealing physical damage, usually played in the bot lane.

AFK: Away from keyboard. Going AFK or leaving games in LoL may result in penalties.

AoE: Area of Effect.

AP (Ability Power): A stat that increases the effectiveness of a champion's abilities.

APC (Ability Power Carry): A champion who deals most of their damage through abilities, scaling with ability power.

Assassin: A champion class known for their ability to quickly eliminate key targets.

Backdoor: Sneakily attacking the enemy base or objectives without a minion wave.

Bait: Luring enemies into an unfavorable fight.

Baron Nashor: A powerful neutral monster providing significant team buffs.

Base: The main area where champions spawn and the Nexus is located.

Blue Buff: A buff obtained from the Ancient Golem, enhancing mana/energy regeneration and cooldown reduction.

Bot Lane: The bottom lane of the map, typically where ADC and Support champions go.

Bruiser: A champion that blends the characteristics of a tank and a damage dealer.

Buff: An effect that temporarily enhances a champion's abilities.

Burst Damage: A high amount of damage dealt in a short time.

Camp: Ganking the same enemy laner multiple times consecutively. It can also be used as jungle monsters spawn location and also referred to as jungle camps.

Carry: A champion who becomes increasingly powerful and can determine the game's outcome.

CC (Crowd Control): Abilities that limit or prevent enemy players from taking action.

Champion: A character controlled by the player, each with unique abilities.

Cooldown: A period of waiting before an ability can be used again.

Counterpick: Choosing a champion specifically to counter an opponent's choice.

Crit (Critical Strike): An attack dealing increased damage.

CS (Creep Score): The count of minions and neutral monsters a player has killed.

Dive: Aggressively attacking an enemy under their turret.

Dragon / Drake: A neutral monster providing team-wide buffs.

DPS (Damage Per Second): A measure of sustained damage output.

Disengage: Withdrawing from a fight or encounter.

ELO: A ranking system named after Arpad Elo, used in determining player skill level.

Face Check: Used to describe a player walking into a bush or area without vision, risking encountering enemies.

Farm: The act of killing minions to gain gold and experience.

Feeder: A player who dies frequently to the enemy, often unintentionally.

Fog of War: Areas of the map hidden from a player's view.

Gank: A surprise attack on an enemy champion.

Gankplank: A surprise attack, often from the jungle.

Hard CC (Hard Crowd Control): Crowd control that completely stops enemy actions, like stuns or knock-ups.

Harass: Using abilities or attacks to weaken an enemy champion without fully engaging.

Hit Points (HP): A measure of a champion's health.

Hitbox: The area where an attack or ability can affect a champion.

Initiator: A champion who excels at starting team fights.

Invade: Entering the enemy jungle to steal resources or secure kills.

Item: Equipment purchased with gold to enhance a champion's abilities.

Juke: Evading enemy attacks or abilities through clever movement.

Jungler: A player who farms neutral monsters in the jungle.

KDA (Kills/Deaths/Assists): A statistic representing a player's performance.

Kite: Keeping distance from enemy team while attacking.

Kite Back: Retreating while attacking to maintain distance from the enemy.

KS (Kill Steal): Taking a kill that a teammate was about to secure.

Lane: The paths that minions follow, leading to the enemy base.

Laning Phase: The early phase of the game period where players focus on their respective lanes.

Laner: The champion or player who occupies a certain lane during the early game.

Last Hit: Dealing the final blow to a minion or monster for gold.

Leash: Helping a jungler with their initial monster camp without taking the kill.

Lifesteal: A stat allowing a champion to heal from physical attacks.

Magic Resist: A stat reducing incoming magical damage.

Mana: A resource used for casting abilities.

Melee: Champions who fight at close range.

Meta (Metagame): The prevailing strategies and champion picks in the game.

Mid Lane: The central lane, often occupied by mages or assassins.

MIA (Missing in Action): Indicates an enemy champion is missing from their lane.

Nerf: A change to the game that weakens a particular item, ability, or champion.

Nexus: The core building in each base, whose destruction leads to victory.

Off-Meta: A champion or strategy not commonly used in the current metagame.

OOM (Out of Mana): Lacking mana to cast abilities.

Overextend: Pushing too far into enemy territory, risking being ganked.

Objective: Key elements like turrets, dragons, and Baron Nashor.

Pentakill: Securing all five enemy champion kills in quick succession.

Peel: Protecting a high-value teammate from enemy attacks.

Pick: Catching and eliminating an isolated enemy champion.

Poke: Dealing damage from a distance to gradually weaken the enemy.

Positioning: The strategic placement of a champion during fights and gameplay.

Power Spike: A point where a champion significantly increases in strength.

Proxy Farm: Killing enemy minions behind their turret to pressure the lane.

Push: Advancing into enemy territory by defeating minions.

Ranged: Champions who attack from a distance.

Recall: Teleporting back to the base to heal and shop.

Red Buff: A buff from the Brambleback, enhancing attack damage and slowing enemies.

Reset: Returning to base to heal and buy items or an ability resetting its cooldown.

Roam: Moving around the map to create pressure or secure objectives.

Scaling: How well a champion's power grows throughout the game.

Siege: Pressuring an enemy turret or base while minimizing risk.

Silence: An ability that prevents the target from casting spells.

Skill Ceiling: The potential for mastery and effectiveness of a champion.

Skill Floor: The minimum skill required to play a champion effectively.

Skillshot: An ability that requires precise aiming.

Smite: A summoner spell mainly used by junglers to kill monsters.

Snowball: Gaining significant momentum from an early advantage.

Split Damage: A champion's damage output divided between physical and magical damage.

Split Push: Pressuring a separate lane from the rest of the team.

Squishy: A champion with low health and defenses.

Support: A role focused on aiding the team, often through healing or crowd control.

Tank: A champion with high durability, often initiating fights.

Top Lane: The lane running along the top of the map, often occupied by bruisers or tanks.

Turret: Defensive structures protecting the lanes and base.

Ultimate: A powerful ability with a longer cooldown, unique to each champion.

Vision: Information about the enemy's position, typically obtained through wards.

VODs: Abbreviation for Video on Demand, usually refers to a replay. VOD review is a popular coaching technique. 

Ward: An item that provides vision in an area.

Wave Clear: The ability to quickly kill minion waves.

Zoning: Forcing an enemy to stay away from an area or risk being attacked.

You're now equipped with the essential terminology of League of Legends, a vital tool for deepening your engagement with the game and its community. As LoL continues to evolve, keep this guide close to navigate the ever-changing landscape. Happy gaming, and see you on the Rift!