Have you ever been playing Call of Duty and heard a peculiar term that means nothing to you? There are plenty of COD terms floating around, and not all of them make sense at first blush.
If you’re eager to become a pro player, you’ll need to understand all the Call of Duty lingo, as the top-tier terms are used in every conversation and callout in the game. With that in mind, we’ve assembled a glossary of all the Call of Duty terminology that might be confusing you.
There are dozens – if not hundreds – of Call of Duty slang terms and words, many of which will confuse people who haven’t ever played a game in the series. Like many other games, the COD terminology is ever-evolving, which means that one term might come and go in a matter of weeks. Regardless of that fact, we’ve broken down every one of the most important COD terms here, just for you.
A
Absolute – If a player is ‘Absolute’, they’re one shot away from being killed. It’s typically interchangeable with ‘one shot’, and it’s rarely heard outside of the professional esports scene, which is mostly supported by the Call of Duty League.
Ace – In Search and Destroy, if you successfully kill every player on the enemy team without dying, you’ll land what’s called an Ace.
AR – This term is used to describe a role or a weapon in Call of Duty esports – ‘Assault Rifle’. It’s used to define players that typically use a longer-range style of engagement.
B
Bait – If someone is in a room in a tough location, you might buddy up with a teammate and send them in first as ‘bait’ to trigger the enemy to shoot and give away their position, at which point you’ll storm the room and hopefully kill them.
Beam – Beam or ‘beaming’ is used to describe a situation in which you’re not missing a shot on your enemy targets. You’re quite literally being a ‘laser beam’ in combat.
Bot – This can be a derogatory term used to describe bad players, comparing them to AI-controlled ‘bots’ that simply can’t emulate a human style of play.
Burger Walking – Often used in association with ‘Bot’, if a player is burger walking, they’re moving around the map slowly and without any finesse, often taking on the appearance of a bot-like individual.
C
Camper – In COD terms, a Camper is someone who sits in one spot and refuses to move, typically occupying an area in a corridor, doorway, or behind some furniture to try and farm kills.
Carried – This somewhat derogatory COD term is used to describe a situation in which one player has been ‘carried’ by their team. This means they’ve underperformed while their team has won a round, making it look as though they were carried to the win.
Chalked – When something is chalked, it’s deemed unwinnable or something that you can’t recover from. For instance, if you’re playing against a strong team in Search and Destroy and the scoreline is 0 – 5, you might throw in the towel and admit defeat by stating that the match is ‘chalked’.
Collateral – One of the most exciting COD words is ‘collateral’, which is used to describe a scenario wherein a single sniper shot penetrates multiple enemies. It’s a rare thing to behold but it’s remarkably satisfying when it does happen. There are rarely any collaterals in the Call of Duty esports scene.
Comms – This is an important piece of Call of Duty lingo to remember. If you’re left last alive in Search and Destroy, you’ll need to tune all your senses in to secure the round. If you hear a noise, you can simply say ‘Comms’ and everyone in your party will go silent – if they understand the term, of course.
Cracked – Cracked can mean two things: a player is really good, or a player has had their armour plates broken. In Warzone, players can equip armour plates, and when they take a certain amount of damage, they’ll break, which is when you’ll call out that the player is ‘cracked’.
D
Deadie – ‘Deadie’ is used to describe Dead Silence, an in-game field upgrade that can be used to go completely silent for a set period. It recharges over time, and it’s typically used to gain the upper hand in a match of Search and Destroy.
Drop Shot – In Call of Duty, a drop shot is the act of laying prone reactively as you shoot an enemy close to you, throwing off their expectations and avoiding incoming gunfire while securing an easy kill.
Dynasty – This piece of COD terminology is used to describe a team that’s considered to be at the peak of competitive play. It’s a squad that’s perfectly formed and plays phenomenally well, often standing out against the history of an entire organisation. That team is a ‘dynasty’ of players.
E
Ego Chall – If you’ve made an ‘ego chall’, you’ve taken on an enemy in a situation where they have the upper hand, and you’ve done so simply because you feel as though you’re better than the other player.
Flex – In Call of Duty esports, ‘Flex’ is a COD term used to describe a player that can pick up any role, typically switching between SMG and AR-based weapons on the fly and remaining fluid.
F
Frying – If you’re frying, you’re on a white-hot streak and laying waste to the enemy team without being killed. You’ll typically be on a kill streak and will be flying around the map with reckless abandon while ‘frying’.
G
GG – GG isn’t just one of the most iconic COD terms, it’s a phrase that’s used across the esports industry. It means ‘good game’, and it’s quickly typed by players at the end of a solid round of Call of Duty action, letting everyone know that you enjoyed that match.
H
Headie – If you’re in a ‘headie’ or a ‘head glitch’, you’ll be in a spot where, on your opponents’ screen, only your head will be visible. On your screen, you’ll be able to shoot over your cover unobstructed, but it becomes almost impossible to hit you.
Hill – In ‘Hardpoint’, the ‘Hill’ is the ever-changing location that rotates around the map, forcing players to relocate to secure points. There are up to five or six Hills per map, and learning the rotation is pivotal to success.
Hill Kitten – If you’re a Hill Kitten, that means that in COD terms, you’re the kind of player who’ll sit on a Hardpoint objective for as long as possible, soaking up time and racking up the points while everyone else battles around you.
I
Ice – If the word ‘ice’ is fused with any other word, it’s typically used as a Call of Duty betting slang term to describe a skilled player. For instance, the player might ‘have ice in their veins’, or be ‘the ice man’.
In The Blender – If you’re ‘in the blender’, you’re facing opponents that are ‘frying’ and you’re unable to make a successful play. You’ll be dying over and over again and might be caught in a spawn trap to boot, failing to get any traction whatsoever.
L
Lose Full – If you’ve lost full, you’ve had something of a meltdown. When you ‘lose full composure,’ something has totally thrown you off your game and caused you to rage.
O
One Shot – Like ‘Absolute’, one shot is used to describe a player that is ‘one shot’ away from death. Typically, you’ll take on an opponent in a duel and they’ll defeat you, but you’ll leave them in a ‘one shot’ state, letting your teammates know that the enemy can be killed easily.
P
Play Your Life – As one of the most important COD terms and a key piece of Call of Duty terminology, ‘play your life’ is uttered when you or your teammate is being instructed to stay alive for as long as possible, potentially running away to avoid conflict.
Rat/Ratty – If someone is a ‘rat’, they’re the kind of player that moves slyly around the map, often winding up in strange locations or corners and picking off enemies from unpredictable locations. It’s often confused with ‘Camper’ as one of the more derogatory COD terms.
Reverse Sweep – In the Call of Duty League and other competitive scenes, a ‘reverse sweep’ is used to describe a flipped scoreline. If you’re looking at a score of 0 – 2 in a best-of-three and you turn it around and win the series 3 – 2, you’ve performed a reverse sweep.
Rotate – If you’re playing Hardpoint and someone demands that you ‘rotate’, it simply means you’ll head to the next objective ahead of time, ‘rotating’ onto the next ‘Hill’ and trying to beat the enemy to the punch.
S
Slide Cancel – Once an exploit of sorts, the slide cancel mechanic is now written in by Activision’s studios. It’s a movement mechanic that sees players run, slide, and then cancel the slide, immediately returning to a sprint and moving quickly across the map.
Snaking – Snaking is a tactic that even the best COD players of all time take advantage of. It’s where a player will prone and stand quickly behind cover, using a movement exploit that makes them incredibly tough to hit as they bob and weave.
Spawn Trap – In some modes, like Control, getting an enemy in a spawn trap means that you’re strategically pinning them in one part of the map that they can’t escape from. Every time they die, they spawn in the same rough area, running into a hail of bullets whenever they try to move.
Sweaty – As another derogatory piece of Call of Duty slang, a ‘sweaty’ player does everything possible to secure the win, playing aggressively and in an ‘over-the-top’ fashion to get that victory.
T
Tilted – Tilted can be used in association with ‘losing full’, and it typically describes a situation in which a player has become enraged in response to something that happened in-game, such as a loss.
Trade – This is one of the most common pieces of COD slang you’ll hear in the competitive scene. If someone has secured a trade or ‘traded’, it means they’ve immediately killed an opponent that just killed their teammate. It’s commonly used in Search and Destroy.
Trophy – As a pivotal component of a Hardpoint match, a Trophy System is a device that repels thrown weapons, such as grenades. It’s important for holding a ‘Hill’ as it allows users to block explosives that might otherwise have pushed them off the Hill.
W
Wall Bang – If you hit a wall bang, you’ve killed an opponent through a solid surface, shooting them without having a direct line of sight.
Read other esports glossaries
That’s our full breakdown of the Call of Duty lingo you’ll need to succeed in the space. As a competitive player, knowing the latest COD words could mean the difference between good and poor communication in-game. Take these Call of Duty terms and run wild – they’re what you’ll need to understand what people are saying in game chat or on social media platforms. If you want to know more gaming terms, check out our other glossaries:
