430+ Teen Slang, Emojis, & Hashtags Parents Need to Know (The Ultimate List)

Goat
Greatest of all time

Smirk Face
Can symbolize the person is being flirtatious, or trying to get something in a romantic manner

Squirt Gun
Is often used by teens to jokingly express extreme frustration, stress, or embarrassment, like saying "I can't deal with this" or "I'm done with this." It’s typically not meant to be taken literally but is used in a humorous or exaggerated way to convey how they feel in the moment

Candy
Can represent Ecstasy, especially when combined with other emojis like pills

‍Peach
 Butt

Snake
Typically used to symbolize that someone is a "backstabber"

Octopus
Cuddles

Smiling Face With Horns
In the mood to have a sexual encounter with someone

Pizza
Can sometimes mean "I love you"

Fire
"Lit", "fire", or "sexy"

Woman Dancing
Expressing the desire to party hard

Kitchen Knife
Expression of being in a bad mood or wanting to cause destruction

Nail Polish
A response that indicates you’re not bothered about something someone said about you

Women With Bunny Ears
Can mean a girls' night out or as code for "sex worker"

Woman Tipping Hand
Used to express an exasperated “I don’t even know what to think anymore”

Eggplant or

Banana
Male genitalia. Often sent to illustrate the anticipation of a sexual encounter

Avocado
Basic

Snowflake
Derogatory term to describe a young person who is easily offended or used to represent cocaine

Clapping Hands
When used in between every single word in a sentence, it represents a passive-aggressive way of emphasizing something that people can’t seem to understand

Water Closet
Woman crush

Fishing pole
Fishing for a compliment

Baseball cap
A lie or not true

Skull
Used to show something is funny

Fuel or Gas Pump
Something is "Fire" or "Gas"

Tree
‍Marijuana

Herb
‍Marijuana

Broccoli
Marijuana

Four Leaf Clover
Marijuana

‍Green Check Mark
Marijuana

Electric Plug
Represents a drug dealer

Dashing Away
Can indicate that someone is running so hard they leave a trail of smoke behind them or serves as a symbol for vaping

Love Hotel
Brothel

Syringe
Represents getting a tattoo

Pill
Has been reported that drug dealers use this to symbolize they have heroin for sale

Face With Steam From Nose
Has been reported that drug dealers use this to symbolize they have MDMA for sale

Maple Leaf
Can be used to symbolize cannabis or drugs in general

Rocket
Has been reported that drug dealers use this to symbolize that their products have a high potency

Sweat Droplets
Represents an orgasm

Raised Fist followed by

Sweat Droplets
Represents masturbation

Eyes
Can be used to request that someone send an explicit picture

Circus Tent
Represents an erection

Microphone
Represents a male orgasm

Grapes
Represents testicles

Cherries
Represents breasts

Open Mailbox With Raised Flag
Can sometimes mean sex

Dizzy Face
Having just seen something x-rated

Woman Gesturing OK
Represents a female orgasm

Fingers pointing to each other
The user is feeling shy

Hand with a pencil
Reminder to take note or take the advice

Drooling Face
Response to someone being attractive

Face with Open Mouth + Dashing Away
Represents vaping or smoking

Rat
Snitch

Loudly Crying Face
Something is really funny

Rainbow
LGBTQ+

Under 18
Something explicit

100 Points
Keeping it real or 100

Adulting
To grow up and act responsibly

Aesthetic
Vibe

All the ___
An exaggeration to show strong feelings, usually in a positive way

Alpha
Group leader or main character

A mood
A relatable feeling or situation

Amped
Very excited

And I oop
When someone says something unexpected or provocative

Ate
Admiration or praise for one’s actions, fashion choices or performances

Bae
Short for “baby.” It’s used as a term of endearment for a significant other such as a girlfriend or boyfriend. As an acronym, it stands for “Before Anyone Else"

Basic
A non-complimentary way to say someone is only interested in trendy or popular things

Beat
To have a full face of makeup

Beige Flag
Behavior that goes against social norms but isn’t concerning

Bet
Agreeing with someone. A response when someone challenges you

Big Yikes
A more intense version of the word "yikes"

Bih
Shortened form of the word b*tch

Blessed
Feeling fortunate

Body count
The number of people someone has slept with

Bop
A promiscuous female

Boujee
Rich or acting rich

Bounce
Leaving suddenly

Brat/Brat Summer
Admiring that someone can be themselves and not care what others think about them

Bruh
Casual nickname for “bro”

Bussin'
The food you’re eating is very good

Cake
Refers to a person's buttocks or money

Cap or Cappin'
To lie about something

Caught in 4K
Someone is caught in an action with irrefutable evidence

Chad
A hyper-masculine and overtly sexual young man

Chill
Calm down, hang out

Coins
Virtual currency that can be used to buy awards for other users on sites like Reddit

Cook
Take extra time to a given task or action

Cray
Meaning crazy

Clap back
A comeback filled with attitude

Cringe/Cringey
Something that is awkward, embarrassing, or uncomfortable to witness

Dad or Daddy
An older, attractive male

Dank
Meaning “really good”

Dead
When someone is euphorically happy

Ded
Used when something is extremely funny or embarrassing

Delulu
Synonym to delusional

Demure
A statement of self-awareness and confidence

DILF
A slang term that stands for "Dad I'd Like to F***" It's often used to describe an attractive dad

Down in the DM
Making plans using social media or texts for an oncoming sexual encounter

Downvote
A virtual thumbs down which users are encouraged to use if they think the comment or post doesn’t contribute or is off-topic

eBAE
Relationship with someone you met online

Eboy or Egirl
Active internet users, emo, punk-rock

Extra
Describes over the top or dramatic behavior

Facts
A nice way to acknowledge someone made a true statement

Fam
Closest friends

Fandom
Being a fan of something, or a group of fans

Finesse
To smooth things out

Finished my shampoo and conditioner at the same time
The person posting is expressing depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts
(Click here for tips on how to talk with your teen about suicide and depression.)

Finna
Means “going to” or “intend on” doing something

Finstagram or Finsta
A second Instagram account. Finstagrams are intimate spaces intended for an audience of friends, with the number of followers purposely kept low

Fire and Straight fire
Something is really good, cool, or amazing

Fit
The shortened version of outfit

Flex
To knowingly flaunt and show off

Gag
A joke

Gas
Action of praising an individual

Ghost or Ghosted
Ignoring someone on purpose

Girl Dinner
A dinner that’s not seen as a proper meal. It consists of many snacks/random foods for ex. pickles, raisins, and ramen

Girly pop
Female who is ultra-feminine, follows trends and has a bubbly personality

Goals
Being inspired, can also be used to express a subtle form of jealousy

Go Off
To encourage a choice, or to support a rant or ridiculous behavior that's already occurred

Griddy
Dance move on social media

Gucci
Meaning good or cool

Gyatt
A way to express admiration or surprise at someone's appearance

Hangry
When you are angry because you are so hungry

Heard
A deep understanding of a topic being discussed

Heart Horny
Desiring a romantic connection

Hentai
Anime pornography

High-key
The opposite of "low key" - meaning let everyone know

Hits different
When different circumstances cause something to be better than it normally is

Humble brag
When someone complains about their life while sneaking in a brag

Hunty
Equivalent of friend but said with attitude

I had pasta tonight
The person posting is expressing depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts
(Click here for tips on how to talk with your teen about suicide and depression.)

I’m weak
Meaning that was funny

Internet friend
Used to describe someone on the internet who knows them better than anyone else in their life

iSAD
Internet separation anxiety

It's giving
Describe appearance of vibe

It’s lit
Meaning it’s cool or awesome

Karen
Typically used to refer to an entitled mom, who can be a bit irritating with her frequent requests to "talk to the manager"

Key or Major Key
Meaning something that is essential or important

Left me on read
When someone opens your text or private message and doesn’t respond

Lewk
A signature physical trait, or a specially and carefully constructed outfit or appearance

Lit
Describing when something's amazing, exciting, high-energy, or otherwise great. It can alternatively mean intoxicated or drunk

Low-Key
A warning that what they’re saying isn’t something they want everyone to know

Meal
Someone who is extremely attractive

Mewing
The act of pressing one’s tongue to the roof of their mouth and simultaneously swallowing to create the illusion of a sharper and more pronounced jawline, rendering them unable to speak. Rather than vocalizing the term, mewing individuals will mime a shushing signal and drag a finger across their jawline to signal their mew-related silence

Mid
Average, mediocre, boring

MILF
A slang term that stands for "Mom I'd Like to F***" It's often used to describe an attractive Mom

Mom
The responsible friend

Mod

Moderator. Often volunteers or other users for popular chat sites

Mood
Used to express something that is relatable

Mutuals
When two social media users follow each other

Netflix ‘n Chill
To meet under the pretense of watching Netflix/TV together when actually planning to meet for “making out” or sex

Netfly
Refers to someone who is "cool" on the internet

No cap
Telling the truth, the equivalent of saying "no lie"

Okurrr
Something that is said to affirm when someone is being put in their place

OK, boomer
Old, out of touch, resistant to change. Baby Boomer

On fleak
On point, nice

Oof
Popularized by the game Roblox, oof is the sound a character makes when it dies. It is typically used as a response when you don't really care but should say at least something

Opp
‍Opposition or someone against you

Out of pocket
Something is out of control

Parasocial
Describes when social media influencers have or encourage unhealthy relationships with their fans

Period
Adding emphasis to a point that has been made

Phubbing
Snubbing someone to pay attention to your phone instead

Pull Up, Pulling Up, Pulled Up, Pullin' Up
Used to invite someone to meet you or that you have arrived to where they are

Ratchet
Typically used to describe an uncouth individual

Reality shifting/Lifa
People talk about projecting their consciousness into an alternate reality into fictional plots like Hogwarts or Twilight

Receipts
Evidence of a person’s hypocrisy often pulled from past social media or text conversations

Rizz
Short for charisma or one's ability to flirt/make a move on someone by using their “rizz”

Rot
Spending an extended period doing very little or engaging in activities that are unproductive or mindless

Rule 30
What has been seen cannot be unseen

Rule 34
Any topic can be made into pornographic content

Salty
To be bitter about something or someone

Same
A response to things you have in common with someone, genuinely or sarcastically

Savage
Meaning it’s cool or awesome. To do or say something completely outrageous and not fear the repercussions or consequences of their actions

Say less
Say no more

Sending me
Exclamation of shock or an exaggerated reaction

Shade or Shading
A sneaky action toward someone or something. When you “throw shade,” you do the sneaky action

She's bad
Attractive or good looking female

Ship
Short for “relationship”

Shipping
Wanting two people to date

Shook
Being confused or in utter disbelief

Sip tea
To mind your own business

Sis
If someone asks you what happened and you respond with "Sis," it means there's a whole lot of drama that unfolded and there's a whole lot more to the story. "Sis" can also be used as a term of endearment toward friends

Skeet
To ejaculate

Skibidi
A filler word often interjected into random parts of a sentence

Skurt
To leave a place

Slaps
Strikes you as good

Slay
Meaning someone is succeeding

Sleep(ing) on
Ignoring something

Sliding into DMs
Using direct messaging to invite someone to "hook up"

Slop
Trashy

Smash
To have casual sex

Snack
A way to describe an attractive individual

Snatched
Meaning well-styled, good looking, or attractive

Sorry to this man
When you don't know who a person is (either because you genuinely don't know who they are or are pretending not to know them in a way to diminish their existence)

Spill the tea
To “spill” the gossip

Squad
Friend group. Squad is also an app

Stan
A combination of stalker and fan. The word can also be used to express tame support of a person or a cause

Sus
When someone is acting suspicious or shady

Swerve
To avoid something

Swole
Extremely buff or physically fit

Swoop
To be picked up by an automobile

Tea
Gossip or talking behind someone's back

That’s a choice
It’s your decision

That's on ____
Used to say that's the truth and we don't need to talk about it anymore

Thicc
Looking good in your skin no matter your size or shape

Thirst trap
A flirtatious photograph or message posted on social media

Thirsty
Being desperate for attention or something else. Often used in place of "horny"

Throw shade
To give someone a nasty look or say something unpleasant about them

Touch grass
Someone should spend more time outdoors

Trash
Something absolutely unacceptable or terrible

Trolling
Deliberately provoking, upsetting, or misleading people online for amusement

Turnt
Hype for a party

Upvote
A virtual thumbs up that users can utilize to show their approval for a post and help it get moved to the top of the site

V
Shortened form of very

Vamp
Staying up all night like vampire, usually while using electronic devices such as phones, computers, or video games

‍Vibing
Relaxing and having a good time

VSCO girl
Describes a type of picture/video posted through the VSCO app

‍Wig
To refer to something that is amazing

Wig snatched
Exposing someone to reveal the truth

W/L
Win/Loss

Woke
Highly aware of social issues

Yaas
An enthusiastic way of saying yes

Yeet
A very strong word for yes

You're him/You're her
A complement to describe a confident successful person

Zaddy
A well-dressed, attractive man

‍

#420: Pot/weed/drugs

#69: Oral sex position

#ana: Anorexia

#crow: Marijuana

#cu46: See you for sex

#deb: Depression

#ednos: "Eating disorder not otherwise specified"

#herb Weed or marijuana

#mia: Bulimia

#molly: MDMA or ecstasy

#pre-ing: Could refer to activities before planned drinking or drugs

#secretsociety123: Non-suicidal self harm

#sue: Suicide

#svv: Self-harming behavior

#thinsp or #thinspo: Thinspiration (content that "inspires" others to be thin)

#wired, #wavey, or #merked: Saying they are high or drunk

#WLW: Women love women

‍

1174: "Nude club"

1337 and L337: "Elite"

143: "I love you"

182: "I hate you"

420: "Marijuana"

459: "I love you"

8: "Oral sex"

ADR: "Address"

AEAP: "As Early As Possible"

AF: "As f***"

ALAP: "As Late As Possible"

AMA: “Ask me anything,” a Q&A style discussion with the author of a post

AMAA: "Ask me almost anything"

ADN: "Any Day Now"

ASLP: "Age/Sex/Location/Picture"

ASMR: "Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response" meaning something gave you chills

AUS: Ask us anything

Banana: "Penis"

BTO: "Bathroom time off"

CCW: “Comments and criticism welcome”

CD9: "Code 9" meaning parents are around

CMV: “Change my view”

DAE: “Does anybody else or does anyone else”

DM;HS: “Doesn’t matter; had sex”

DPW: "D*** pictures welcome"

DTF: "Down to f***"– which means I want to have sex OR I would like to join you in the plans you suggested. When used in question form it means, do you think he/she would sleep with me or do you think he/she would want to come with us?

DUM: "Do you masturbate?"

DUSL: "Do you scream loud?"

ELI5: "Explain like I'm 5 (years old)"

F2F: "Face-to-Face" meaning FaceTime

FB: "F*** buddy"

FBOI: "F*** boy" meaning a guy looking for sex

FIFY and FTFY: “Fixed It For You” and "Fixed that for you", respectively

FMLTWIA: "F*** me like the w**** I am"

FOL: "Fond of leather"

FOMO (Fear of Missing Out): FOMO is when a student (or adult) experiences anxiety that an exciting event may currently be happening elsewhere, often prompted by posts seen on social media

FR: "For real"

FWB: “Friends with benefits”

FWP: “First world problems”

FYP: "For you page"

GG: "Good game"

GGG: reference to the “Good Guy Greg” or “Good Girl Gina” meme

GIS: "Google Image Search"

GNRN: "Get Naked Right Now"

GOAT: “Greatest of all time!”

GNOC: “Get naked on camera"

GTFO: “Get the f**k out”

GTG: “Got to go”

GYPO: "Get your pants off"

HAK: "Hugs and kisses"

HIFW: “How I feel when”

HMB: “Hold my beer”

HMU: Hit me up

IAmA: "I am a.” This is the standard way to begin the title of an AMA (Ask me anything) post

IANAD: "I am not a doctor"

IANAL: "I am not a lawyer"

IAYM: "I am your master"

ICYMI: "In case you missed it"

IDC: I don't care

IDGAF: "I don’t give a f***" – which means I don’t care at all

IDK: I don't know

IF and IB: "In the front" or "In the back", respectively

IYKYK: "If you know you know"

IMO or IMHO: "In my opinion" and "In my humble/honest opinion"

IIRC: "If I recall correctly"

ILY and ILU: "I love you"

IRL: “In real life”

ISO: “In search of”

ITT: "In this thread"

IYKYK: "If you know you know" meaning an inside joke

JOMO: "Joy of missing out"

KMS: "Kill myself"

KPC: "Keeping Parents Clueless"

KYS: "Kill yourself"

LB: "Like back"

LMAO: "Laugh my a** off"

LMD: "Let me die"

LMIRL: "Let’s meet in real life"

LMP: "Like my pic"

LOL: “Laugh out loud”

LoL: “League of Legends”, a popular online game

MRW and MFW: "My reaction when" and "My face when", respectively

MOS: "Mom Over Shoulder"

NIFOC: “Naked in front of their computer”

NP: “No problem”

NSFL: "Not safe for life" (explicit and offensive; often gore)

NSFW: "Not safe for work" or inappropriate for minors

OAG: References the “Overly attached girlfriend” meme

OC: “Original content”, meaning the author of the post created the content shown or linked in the post or "Open crib", meaning no parents will be at home or at a gathering or party

OFC: "Of course"

OG: Meaning “original” or “original gangster”

OMFG: "Oh my f**king god"

OOTL: "Out of the loop"

OP: "Original poster" meaning the author of the post

P911: "Parent Alert"

PIR: "Parent In Room"

PMOYS: "Put me on your Snapchat"

POS: "Parents over shoulder"

PSA: "Public service announcement"

Pu: "Pull up"

ROTFLMAO: "Rolling on the floor laughing my as* off"

RT: "Retweet"

SALTS: "Smiled a little then stopped"

sksksk: The sound you make when you hit lots of keys at once on your keyboard

Skrt: To stop unexpectedly

SMDH: “Shaking my damn head”

SMH: “Shaking my head” or "that's so dumb"

SFS: "Shoutout for Shoutout"

SO: “Significant other”

STFU: "Shut the f**k up"

SU: "Swipe up/Shut up"

Sus: "Suspect" or "Suspicious"

T: Gossip or talking behind someone's back

TBH: “To be honest"

TDTM: “Talk dirty to me"

TFW: "That feeling when"

TIFU: “Today I f**ked up”

TIL: "Today I learned"

TL;DR: "Too long; Didn't read.” Sometimes used as a synonym for "summary"

V: "Very"

WIP: “Work in progress"

WTF: "What the f**k?"

WTH: "What the he**"

WTM: "What's the move?"

WUF: "Where you from?"

WYA: "Where you at?"

WYD: "What you doing?"

WYLL: "What you look like?"

YASS or YEET: A very strong way to say "yes"

YK: "You know"

YMMV: “Your mileage may vary”

YSK: "You should know"

‍

Brute-force attack
Repetitive successive attempts of trying various password combinations to break into someone else's website or account

Catfishing
When a person creates a fake identity on a social network, usually with the intention of deceiving a specific victim

CF
A story on Instagram that is only shown to selected people

Clickbait
Internet content whose main purpose is to attract attention and encourage visitors to click on a link to a particular web page. Click-bait headlines typically aim to exploit the "curiosity gap", providing just enough information to make readers of news websites curious, but not enough to satisfy their curiosity without clicking through to the linked content

Copypasta
Blocks of text which get copy and pasted across the Internet by individuals through online forums and social networking websites, to the point of becoming spam

Cramming
The fraudulent practice of adding unauthorized charges to a customer's phone bill

Cyberbully
Any form of bullying that takes place using electronic devices. Cyberbullying is repeated and intentional harm towards someone online, on social media, or through texting

Dark web
A collection of websites that exist on an encrypted network and cannot be found by using traditional search engines or visited by using traditional browsers. The dark web is full of criminal activity

DM or PM
"Direct message" or "private message", respectively

Doxing or Doxxing
Publishing personal or identifying information about a particular individual online, typically with the intent to do harm

Facetune
Facetune is a photo editing application used to edit, enhance, and retouch photos on a user’s iPhone, iPad or Android device. The app is often used for portrait and selfie editing. Features allow users to whiten teeth, remove blemishes, smooth skin, reshape, defocus and blur

Follow
In social media, a follow represents a user who chooses to see all of another user's posts in their content feed

GC
Group Chat

GIF
A type of computer file that contains a still or moving image. GIF is the abbreviation for "Graphic Interchange Format"

Glazing
When someone profusely compliments another person without resist, they are “glazing” this person

Grooming
The action by a pedophile of preparing a child for a meeting, especially via an Internet chat room, with the intention of committing a sexual offense

Hacking
When someone who doesn’t own the account gets the password illegally and takes control of the account, sometimes posting inappropriate content

Hashtag
A word or phrase preceded by a hash sign (#), used on social media websites and applications, to identify messages on a specific topic. Typically hashtags are searchable on the platform it was posted on

Impersonating
When someone is illegally pretending to be someone else through their social media accounts

Influencer
A person with the ability to influence potential buyers of a product or service by promoting or recommending the items on social media

LCR
Like, comment, or repost

Lurking
Spying on others online while remaining invisible

Malware
Software that is specifically designed to disrupt, damage, or gain unauthorized access to a computer system

Meme
An activity, concept, catchphrase, or piece of media that spreads, often as mimicry or for humorous purposes, from person to person via the Internet. A meme usually takes the form of an image, GIF, or video. It can also be just a word or phrase

Phishing
The act of sending emails pretending to be from reputable companies in order to get individuals to reveal personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers

Photoshop
An app where people can edit their photos to look better or how they want them to appear

Priv (Private Story)
Snapchat stories that are invite only

Private Groups
A separate area of social networks where only designated users can communicate with one another. Private groups are popular on Facebook

Ransomware
Ransomware is a type of malicious software that holds your personal digital data for ransom. Those affected by ransomware cannot gain access to their personal data without paying a fine. Most ransomware is disguised as a valid file to be downloaded or opened in an email

Scareware
Malicious computer programs designed to trick a user into buying and downloading unnecessary and potentially dangerous software, such as fake antivirus protection

SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
A marketing discipline focused on growing visibility in organic (non-paid) search engine results

Selfie
A self-portrait type image, typically taken with a smartphone which may be held in the hand or supported by a selfie stick

Sending
When people send photos of themselves to others, sometimes inappropriate images

Snapstreak
When Snapchat friends send a message or photo to each other every day, they create a "snapstreak" or "streak"

Spam
Using electronic messaging systems to send an unsolicited message, email is the most common platform for spam but it can also be sent via text or on social media

Spoofing
When a person or program successfully masquerades as another by falsifying data, to gain an illegitimate advantage

Spyware
A form of malware that hides on your device, monitors your activity, and steals sensitive information like bank details and passwords

Subscribe
Typically used to describe a user who chooses to see all of another user's posts in their content feed on YouTube. Subscribe can be used on other social media networks but it's most commonly used when referring to YouTube

Swatting
When someone makes a prank call to emergency services in an attempt to dispatch armed police officers to a particular address

Troll or Trolling
Deliberately using the internet to provoke others. Trolling isn't necessarily focused on insulting others or being rude, it's more about tricking people into believing you or playing pranks

‍

1-Up
Extra life in the game

AFK
"Away from keyboard"

Arena Mode
A player-controlled character is placed in a closed-off area and must attempt to defeat other players using their unique skills in the video game

Assault Mode
One team tries to attack (or capture) areas that are defended by the other team in the video game

Avatar
The player’s character in the game world

Battle Pass
An in-game, tiered reward system to give players more options and extra items after playing the game or completing certain challenges. There are usually both free and paid video game options

Battle Royale
‍Individual players or teams enter a shrinking playing field and must search for weapons/shelter while battling until there is one player/team left in the video game. Currently one of the best video games in popularity

BM - Bad Manners
Player input that is disrespectful or unsportsmanlike in the video game

Boss
A computer-operated character in a video game that is harder to beat, often at the end of a level or a game

Campaign mode (Story mode)
A mode that tells a story and the player’s actions can affect which path the story takes from the original game

Camping
Hiding from other players in a game

Challenge mode
A level of play that requires the player to repeat a certain section or battle but with limited resources

Cooperative gameplay (co-op)
The gamers work together as a team to face computer-operated challenges

CPU
A computer-operated player in the video game

Cranking 90’s
A Fortnite term that refers to building a tower full of 90-degree turns

Deathmatch
‍A gamer must try to kill as many other gamers as possible in a given time period of gameplay

E-Sports (Electronic Sports)
Organized, competitive gaming where gamers are usually rewarded with monetary prizes and recognition

Expansion Pack
A free or paid add-on or new content to a game that usually offers new characters, worlds, weapons, etc. where a game already takes place

FPS - First Person Shooter
A genre where the player experiences play from the view of their character, often down the scope of their weapon

F2P or FtP
‍Games that are "Free To Play"

Game Launcher
An application program for a PC that is used to launch games (example: Battle.net, Steam, or Epic Games Store)

Griefing
When a player messes something up intentionally, similar to trolling

Grind
Completing many tasks to earn points (in general to work hard)

Health
The amount of damage a player can take before being defeated‍

IAP
"In-App Purchase"

Kill-death Ratio (K/D ratio)
The number of times that you killed an opponent vs the number of times they killed you

Lagging
When the game isn’t running smoothly due to wifi or bad connection

Loot box
Rewards to gamers for completing certain levels or tasks usually given on a random basis - may cost money

MOBA - Multiplayer Online Battle Arena
Teams of players have to defend their home base from enemies

Microtransaction
In-game purchases where players can purchase virtual goods

Mod
Third part addition or change to a game

Nerf
An update to the game limiting the power of a special weapon/power-up/ability

Noob
A newcomer/starter of playing the game

NPC - Non-player Character
A character that is controlled by the computer (also, CPU)

PC - Player Character
The character in the game that is controlled by the player

PvE
"Player vs Environment"

PvP
"Player vs Player"

PUG - Pick-up Group
A group of players that spontaneously join together to beat a common goal and then disband after completion

Rage Quit
When someone gets mad enough to get off the game

RPG
"Role-Playing Game"

RTS
"Real-Time Strategy"‍

Sandbox
A game where there is no true objective or goal, players have the ability to create, modify, or destroy their environment (Minecraft Creative Mode)

Skin
An add-on to a player’s avatar to change its appearance or weapons

Tag
The username/online name of the player