Each Call of Duty title introduces a new setting and minor update, but the core gameplay has remained relatively consistent. This has allowed a CoD community to grow and prosper, creating a unique culture and atmosphere. Dozens of slang terms and phrases have also grown from years of experience.
While veteran players are likely familiar with the Call of Duty slang and lingo, new players might be confused at first. No need to worry, as we have curated a list of Call of Duty Key Terms and Phrases that will help you get up to speed. It is worth mentioning each Call of Duty title will have unique callouts and slang, but this list should get you started in the right direction.
Call of Duty Key Terms and Phrases
Ace – Killing the entire enemy team without dying. This can be done in any game mode, even respawn modes.
ADS – Abbreviation of Aiming Down Sites. This refers to holding the aim button while using a weapon.
AR – Short for Assault Rifle. Professional players typically fill an AR, SMG, or Flex role.
Attachment – A piece of equipment that changes the performance and stats of a weapon. Most weapons are rarely used without attachments.
Bait – Using yourself or a teammate as a distraction to draw out or eliminate an enemy. Doing this without coordination is frowned upon and called “baiting.”
Beam – A weapon with high accuracy and significant damage. Players will often use this term as a verb.
Bot – A computer-controlled player. This is often used as a derogatory term from underperforming players.
Camping – Sitting in one spot without moving. This is frowned upon by the CoD community, especially if the player doesn’t move for an entire round or match.
Chalk – To end a game or round. Players refer to an unwinnable situation as “Chalked.”
Clan – A group of players using the same in-game Clan Tag. Some clans are exclusive.
Clutch – Winning an intense or close situation. This can range from winning when outnumbered or defusing the bomb at the last second.
Collateral – Killing two enemies with one bullet. This is usually only possible with a sniper rifle.
Comms – The communication between teammates. Players often use this phrase to tell their teammates to be quiet in a tense situation.
Cracked – A damaged player or opponent. This can be substituted with “One-Shot” or “Tagged”
Deady – Slang for the “Dead Silence” perk. This is an essential perk in most competitive game modes.
Donut – Finishing a map without getting a kill. Usually pointed out by teammates.
Drop shot – Going prone while shooting an enemy. This strategy is hard to master and tough to counter.
Ego Chall – Challenging a player. Ego refers to a player’s ego and confidence in their gun skill.
First Blood – The first kill of a round or match.
Fake defuse – Pretending to defuse a bomb. This tactic is used to draw out hiding enemies.
Flank – Attacking the enemy from behind. A common strategy in almost every game mode.
Flex – A player that can fill either an AR or SMG role in a competitive setting.
Flipping Spawns – Causing each team to swap spawn points by contesting parts of the map.
Frag – A kill or a frag grenade. Some players refer to elimination as frags.
GA – Short for Gentlemen’s Agreement. Competitive players often agree not to use certain weapons or items, even though no official rule requires this arrangement.
Game Sense – Refers to the skill veteran players have that allows them to predict enemy movement.
Hard scope – Aiming down the sights of a scoped weapon. It is frowned upon in some instances.
Head glitch (Heady) – Refers to a spot where only a player’s head can be seen, making it hard to be killed.
Hill – The capture point in a Hardpoint match that players must hold to earn points.
Hill time – The amount of time a player spends in the Hardpoint Hill.
Hipfire – Firing a weapon without aiming down sights.
Hitmarker – The audible and visual queue that an enemy is hit.
Holding a cross – Holding a line of sight to make sure enemies do not rotate to other parts of the map.
In-game Leader – The player in charge of creating and orchestrating strategies in a match.
Jump shot – Engaging an enemy while jumping in the air. This is often done preemptively.
Killstreak – A reward granted after accumulating a specific amount of kills.
KD – Short for kill death ratio. A kill death ratio is often a reflection of a player’s skill level.
Lasered – Refers to dying from a well-placed shot.
Lit – A damaged enemy. A common callout in competitive matches.
Loadout – A player’s customizable arsenal.
LMG – Abbreviation for Light Machine Gun. High-powered weapons with low mobility.
Lost Full – When a player or team loses their composure.
Melt – Refers to a powerful weapon that can quickly kill opponents.
Nade – Short for grenade.
Ninja Defuse- Defusing the bomb without engaging the enemy team. A tough and impressive task.
Noob Tube – A derogatory term for the grenade launcher attachments on weapons.
OBJ – Short for Objective. Refers to a player whose role is to hold or contest the objective.
One-shot – When a player is damaged and only needs one more shot to die.
Panic Knife – Using your knife when startled by an enemy.
Play for your life – Making sure you stay alive for as long as possible to avoid giving the enemy an advantage.
Pre-aim – Preemptively pointing your weapon at a spot to engage an opponent.
Pre-fire – Preemptively firing your weapon before seeing the enemy.
Pre nade – Preemptively throwing a grenade at a spot to kill an enemy.
P1, P2, etc. – Refers to the rotating hills in Hardpoint.
Quick scope – Using the scope on a sniper rifle for a short period. Typically allows players to line up their shots without committing to Hard Scoping.
Respawn – Refers to Respawn game modes like Hardpoint and Control.
Reverse sweep – When a team is one map away from losing but comes back and wins the series.
Rotate – Moving between objectives or locations. Teams will preemptively move between objectives in game modes like Hardpoints.
Rush – A coordinated attack where an entire team pushes an objective or location.
S&D Star – A player who excels in the Search and Destroy game mode.
Slayer – A player who can efficiently eliminate the enemy team.
Slide cancel – Repeadtelty stopping the sliding animation to move faster and to become a harder target.
SMG – Short for Sub-Machine Gun. Smaller weapons perfect for an aggressive playstyle.
Spawn – The location where either team spawns at the beginning of a round.
Spawn Out – When a player spawns away from their spawn location. This can be a negative side effect of losing control of a part of a map.
Spawn trap – Containing an enemy team within their spawn location. This is the preferred scenario for your team.
Strat – Short for strategy. A predetermined plan for a round, often created by the In-game. Leader.
Stun – Short for stun grenade. An explosive that slows and partially blinds enemies.
Sweaty – A derogatory term for a player going out of their way to perform well.
Tagged – Refers to a damaged player.
Trade – Killing an enemy that kills your teammate to keep the odds even.
Try Hard – A player that takes every match or series seriously.
Wall bang – Killing an enemy through a wall or surface.
360 – Completing a full rotation before killing a player. Often done with a sniper rifle.
360 No Scope – Killing an enemy with after completing a full rotation and without using the scope on a sniper rifle.
