League of Legends Terminology: All LoL Terms Explained

AA

Basic/auto attack

Ace

Killing every enemy champion

AD

Attack damage

ADC

Attack damage carry, typically a bottom lane marksman

AFK

Away from keyboard, or doing something mindlessly

All-in

Committing everything — abilities, cooldowns, summoner spells — to kill an enemy

AP

Ability power, which scales magic damage

APC

Ability power carry

AoE

An ability that hits multiple targets or a large area at once

ARAM

All Random All Mid, a single lane mode where champions are randomly assigned

Armor

Itemization used to counterattack damage

Armor Pen

Itemization used to counter champions who build armor

Autofill

Being assigned a role you didn't select in the queue

B

Retreat or recall to base

Backdoor

Sneaking into the enemy base to destroy their Nexus while they're pushing yours

Backline

Champions positioned at the back during teamfights, usually mages and marksmen

Balance

Riot's ongoing effort to make the game fairer through buffs, nerfs, and changes

Baron

A powerful neutral monster that spawns at 19:45 or 19:55. Killing it grants the Hand of Baron buff.

Base

Your spawn location, home to your inhibitors and Nexus

BG

Bad game

Blind Pick

Picking your champion without knowing the enemy's picks

Blue Buff

Buff from killing the Blue Sentinel provides bonus mana or energy regen

BM

Bad-mannered, toxic, or trolling behavior

Bot Lane

Bottom lane, where the ADC and Support play

Bounty

A gold reward for killing a player who has built a gold lead

Buff

An in-game effect that empowers a champion, or a patch change that makes them stronger

Build

The order of items you purchase throughout a game

Burst

Dealing a large amount of damage instantly

Camp

A jungle monster spawn location, or repeatedly ganking the same lane

Carry

The fed player capable of winning the game for their side

Champion Pool

The set of champions a player uses to climb

Cooldown

The downtime after using an ability before it can be cast again

Counter

Picking a champion whose kit exploits the weaknesses of an already-picked enemy

Countergank

Responding to an enemy gank by ganking that same lane

Counter Jungle

Invading the enemy jungler's side to steal camps, denying gold and experience

Creeps

Another name for minions or jungle monsters

Crit

A random attack that deals significantly more damage

Crowd Control

Effects that hinder movement or actions, such as stuns, roots, slows, and knockups

CS

Total minions and monsters successfully last hit

Diff

Calling out which player performed better in their role

Dive

Going under an enemy turret to kill an opponent within its range

DoT

An ability that deals damage gradually over time

Double Buff

Holding both blue and red buff simultaneously

DPS

Total damage output a champion can deal per second

Dragon

A major objective on the lower half of the map with elemental variants

Dragon Soul

Earned by slaying four drakes, grants a permanent, powerful buff

Early Game

The first 10-15 minutes, also known as the laning phase

Elder Drake

A powerful dragon that spawns after 35 minutes, grants Aspect of the Dragon buff

ELO

Loosely refers to a general skill bracket

Facecheck

Walking into a bush or fog of war without vision

Farm

Last-hitting minions or jungle monsters to collect gold and experience

Fed

A champion significantly ahead in gold, levels, or kills

Feed

Repeatedly dying to an opponent and giving them kills

FF

Forfeit

Focus

Prioritizing damage on a specific target

Freeze

Slowing a wave's push to keep it near your side of the map

Frontline

Tankier champions who absorb damage and initiate fights

Gank

Ambushing a lane with greater numbers to get a kill or burn summoner spells

GG

Good game

Glass Cannon

A build that deals heavy damage but is very easy to kill

Inhib

Structure destroyed after taking down the third turret in a lane, spawns super minions.

Int

Dying recklessly in fights, derived from "intentionally feeding."

Juke

Dodging an opponent or their abilities

Jungler

The champion who farms jungle monsters and ganks lanes

KS

Kill steal or kill secure, last hitting an enemy champion

Lane

One of the three main paths: top, mid, and bot

Lane Swap

When two teammates switch lanes

Laning Phase

Early game where players farm and fight in their respective lanes

Last Hit

Landing the killing blow on a minion to collect gold

Late Game

Phase begins after 30 minutes, where champions are near peak power

Main

A player's most-played champion or role

Magic Damage

Damage that scales with ability power

Magic Pen

Itemization that bypasses enemy magic resistance

Magic Resist

Itemization that reduces magic damage taken

Marksman

A ranged ADC champion that deals attack damage

Meta

The current best champions, items, and compositions at any given time

MIA

Missing in action, an enemy has left their lane, and the location is unknown.

Mid Game

The phase between roughly 15 and 30 minutes

Mid Laner

The role of controlling the middle lane

Minion

Units that march down each lane, also called creeps

Nerf

When a champion is made weaker through a patch update

Nexus

The final structure you need to destroy to win

OOM

Out of mana

One-shot

Killing an enemy with a single ability or attack

OP

A champion considered too strong for the current game state

Pathing

The route a player takes across the map

Ping

Signaling using the ping system

Poke

Dealing damage from range using auto-attacks or abilities

Powerspike

The point where a champion hits peak strength

Proc

Triggering a condition or effect

Pull

Moving an objective to a more favorable position before fighting

Push

Clearing minions to shove the wave toward the enemy base

Physical Damage

Damage that scales with attack damage

Recall

Returning to base by pressing B

Red Buff

Buff from killing the Red Brambleback gives health regen and slows on basic attacks.

Scaling

A champion gradually getting stronger through items and levels

Skirmish

A small fight between a mix of players from both teams

Skillshot

An ability that requires aiming rather than clicking a target

Smartcast

A keybind that shows ability range while held and fires on release

Smurf

A secondary account used to play at a lower rank

Snowball

Getting progressively stronger after gaining an early lead

Solo Lane

Top or mid lane

Split Push

Sending a teammate to a side lane while the rest apply pressure elsewhere

Squishy

A champion with low health or defenses, easy to kill

Summs

Summoner spells

Super Minion

Stronger minions that spawn after an inhibitor is destroyed

Support

Bot lane role, paired with the ADC, scales with experience rather than gold.

Sustain

The ability to stay healthy through healing, regen, or shielding

Sweep

Clearing an area of enemy wards

Synergy

When champions, items, or compositions complement each other well

Tank

A champion that is hard to kill due to stats, kit, or items

Teamfight

A large-scale fight involving 3 or more members from each team

Tilt

When frustration starts affecting a player's gameplay negatively

TP

Teleport

Top Laner

The role occupying the top lane, focused on one vs one and split-pushing

Toxic

A player being rude or aggressive toward teammates

True Damage

Damage that bypasses armor, magic resist, and damage reduction

Turret

Structures guarding each lane, inhibitors, and the Nexus. 11 total on the map

Ulti

Ultimate ability, bound to every champion's R key