Communication is essential in a game like CS2… but it can prove impossible at first. If you’re just starting out, chances are that most of the Counter-Strike terminology and slang is going right over your head. So, whether you’re taking your first steps on Inferno or getting ready to watch some pro streams, here’s the ultimate CS2 (CS:GO) dictionary, including abbreviations, strategies, CS2 slang, and everything in between. GLHF!

0–9

• 5-Stack – A team of five players queuing together for a match.

A

• Ace – Eliminating the entire enemy team by a single player in one round.
• ADAD – Also ADADing as a verb; spamming the A and D keys to move from side to side continuously and make yourself harder to hit.
• ADR – Average damage per round, a metric showing how consistently a player deals damage across rounds. 
• Aimbot – A cheat that automatically aims for the player.
• Aimbotter – A player using an aimbot.
• Anchor – Player role; consistently holds and defends a specific bomb site.
• Anti-Eco – In CS2 economy, a strategy used to counter a team that is saving money (on an eco round), often involving buying weapons suited for fighting unarmored opponents.
• AWP – A powerful sniper rifle (Arctic Warfare Police). The player using an AWP is known as the AWPer. 

B

• Backstab – To kill someone from behind. 
• Bait – Using a teammate as a decoy to draw enemy fire.
• Bhop – Short for “bunny hop”, a technique to move faster by jumping.
• BO1 – Best of 1, a match played on one map. 
• BO3 – Best of 3, a match played on up to three maps. To win the match, a team has to win on two maps. 
• BO5 – Best of 5, a match played on up to five maps. To win the match, a team has to win on three maps. 
• Bomb – The explosive device the Terrorists plant at bomb sites.
• Buy out – Spending all or most of the team’s available money to purchase weapons, armor, and equipment for a particular round, often done to secure a crucial win.

C

• Caller – The player on a team who calls the strategy, also known as the IGL. 
• Callouts – Specific names for locations on a map used for communication.
• Camping – Staying in one spot to ambush enemies.
• Carry – A player who performs exceptionally well and “carries” the rest of the team to victory. 
• Clutch – Winning a round when outnumbered; typically with just one player left on the team. 
• COD Gun – Short for “Call of Duty gun”, referring to the AUG or SG 553. 
• Collateral – Collateral damage, also known as a Double Kill; getting multiple kills with one bullet. 
• Crabwalking – Moving while crouched, usually to present a smaller target.
• CT – Counter-Terrorist.

D

• Deco – An Eco round played with Desert Eagles. 
• Defuse – Disarming the planted bomb.
• Demo – The replay video of a match. 
• Dink – A headshot.
• Drop – Giving a weapon to a teammate.

E

• Eco – Saving money by buying minimal or no equipment in a round. Also known as a Save Round. 
• Entry Frag – The first kill when entering a bomb site.
• Entry Fragger – The first player to engage the enemy, aiming to get the initial kill and create an opening for their team.

F

• Fake – A tactic to deceive the enemy about your true intentions; usually pretending to head for a different site. 
• Fake Flash – Throwing an item, like a gun or grenade, to mimic a flashbang and trick enemies into looking away.
• FF – Friendly Fire. 
• Flash – A flashbang grenade.
• Flick – A quick, precise aim adjustment to land a shot on an enemy.
• Float – A value that determines the wear and appearance of a skin, ranging from Factory New to Battle-Scarred.
• FOV – Field of view, the extent of the observable game world seen on the screen.
• FPS – Stands for frames per second, the number of images displayed per second in the game. FPS affects the smoothness of gameplay. 
• Frag – A kill.

G

• GG – Good Game.
• GH – Good half. 
• GLHF – Good Luck, Have Fun.
• Griefing – Deliberately disrupting or harassing teammates to ruin their game experience.

H

• Half-buy – A spending strategy where half of the team buys rifles, and the other half saves money by purchasing cheaper items. Also known as a European buy. 
• Heaven – A high point on some maps, often above a bomb site.
• Hero AK – When a team saves money but buys a single AK-47 for their best player to maximize their chances in a round.
• HP – Hit points, or the player’s health. 100 HP means full health. 

I

• IGL – In-Game Leader, the player who calls strategies.

J

• Jiggle Peek – Quickly moving in and out of cover to gain information.

K

• K/D – Kill/Death ratio; the number of kills a player has divided by their deaths, used as a measure of performance. 
• KDA – Kills, deaths, assists, a metric showing the player’s performance through these three actions. 

L

• Lit – Damaged. 
• Lo3 – Short for “live on three”; indicates the match will go live and start for real after three restarts.
• Lurker – Player role; a player who sneaks around the map to catch enemies off-guard.

M

• Map Control – Dominating key areas of the map.
• MM – Matchmaking.
• Molly – A Molotov. 
• MR15 – A match format where each half consists of 15 rounds, with teams switching sides after the first 15 rounds.
• MVP – Most valuable player. 

N

• Nade – A grenade.
• Nerf – When the power of a weapon is reduced with a game update or fix. 
• ND – Need drop, used to request a weapon from teammates. 
• Ninja Defuse – Defusing the bomb without being noticed by the enemy.
• NS – Nice shot. 
• NT – Nice try. 

O

• One-Tap – A single bullet headshot kill.
• OP – An overpowered weapon that is significantly stronger or more effective than others, often seen as unbalanced in the game.
• OT – Overtime during a match. 

P

• P2K – The P2000 pistol. 
• Peek – Exposing yourself to see around a corner.
• Pick – Getting a kill on an enemy.
• Plant – Setting the bomb at a bomb site.

Q

• Quickscope – A fast sniper shot with very brief use of the scope.

R

• Rekt – Slang for “wrecked,” meaning to be completely defeated in the game.
• Rifler – Player role; specializes in assault rifles. 
• Rotate – Moving from one bomb site to another.
• Run Boost – A technique where one player runs and jumps off a teammate’s head to reach higher or farther positions.
• Rush – Moving quickly as a team to overwhelm a bomb site.

S

• Save – Keeping your weapon for the next round by not engaging.
• Self-Kill – Deliberately killing oneself to reset the economy or avoid giving the enemy an advantage. Also known as Suicide. 
• Scout – A nickname for the SSG 08 sniper rifle, used due to its resemblance to the Schmidt Scout rifle from previous Counter-Strike games. 
• Smurf – An experienced player using a new account to play against lower-skilled players.
• Stacking – When players concentrate in one area, usually to defend or rush a bomb site. 
• Strat – Strategy. 
• Support – Player role; provides covering fire and tactical support with utilities. 

T

• T – Terrorist.
• T-side – The side where players play as Terrorists.
• TK – Team Kill, killing a teammate either by accident or on purpose.
• Toxic – Negative or harmful behavior in-game.
• Trade – Eliminating an enemy right after they kill your teammate.

U

• Utility – Grenades and other non-weapon items.

V

• Vent – A ventilation shaft used as a passage on some maps.
• Volvo – Valve, the developer behind Counter-Strike.

W

• W Gaming – Aggressive playstyle focused on constantly moving forward and engaging enemies.
• Wallbang – Shooting through a wall to hit an enemy.
• Wallhack – A cheat that allows players to see through walls. Also known as Walling. 

X

• XP – Experience points.

Y

• Yolo – A reckless or aggressive playstyle, short for “You Only Live Once”.

Alright, you’ve made it to the end of our CS2 (CS:GO) dictionary! Now you can chat in the game or comment on matches like a pro. Have we missed any CS2 slang that you think should make our list? Let us know on our socials, and have fun on Key-Drop, awesome skins await!