Overwatch Terms, Slang And Lingo Every Player Should Know
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Overwatch Terms

Welcome to the Overwatch Glossary page! Whether you’re new to the game or a seasoned veteran, this comprehensive guide is designed to help you understand the lingo, mechanics, and strategies used by the Overwatch community. From hero-specific abilities to gameplay tactics and meta terminology, this glossary covers everything you need to communicate effectively, master strategies, and elevate your game. Dive in, explore the terms, and get ready to level up your Overwatch knowledge!

#

  • 3-3 refers to a team composition with three tanks and three supports, commonly associated with the “GOATS” meta.
  • 2-2-2 means a team composition with two tanks, two damage, and two supports, enforced by the Role Queue system.
  • 2CP is short for “Two Control Point,” a map type where teams attack or defend two objectives (e.g., Hanamura, Volskaya).
  • 5CP refers to “Five Control Point,” a game mode format more common in other games but occasionally used to describe multi-point objectives in Overwatch.
  • 6-Stack means a group of six players queueing together as a full team.

A

  • AD-ing refers to strafing side-to-side (using the A and D keys) to avoid being hit.
  • Aimbot/Aimhack is a cheat program that automatically aims at enemies for the user.
  • Air Control refers to the ability to influence movement while in the air, often through abilities or physics mechanics.
  • Airborne means being in the air, whether by jumping, abilities, or knockback effects.
  • Ajax is a term used when a Lucio dies before successfully activating their Sound Barrier ultimate.
  • Amp refers to Lucio’s “Amp It Up” ability, which increases healing or speed.
  • Ana refers to the support hero who heals and damages with her biotic rifle and abilities.
  • Anti-Dive refers to a strategy or team composition designed to counter dive-focused heroes like Winston, Tracer, and Genji.
  • Anti’d means affected by Ana’s Biotic Grenade, which prevents healing and amplifies incoming damage.
  • AoE stands for “Area of Effect,” referring to abilities that impact multiple players within a specific zone.
  • Area refers to a specific section of the map where gameplay occurs.
  • Ashe refers to the damage hero with a lever-action rifle, dynamite, and her ultimate, B.O.B.
  • Auto-aim is a term used for abilities or cheats that lock onto targets automatically.

B

  • Baby is slang for a small or unarmed version of a character, such as Baby D.Va.
  • Baby D.Va refers to D.Va outside of her mech, using only her Light Gun.
  • Back-cap means sneaking onto and capturing an objective while the enemy team is distracted.
  • Backline refers to support heroes or other players positioned at the rear of the team for protection.
  • Balanced Overwatch refers to gameplay or metas where all roles and heroes feel fair and viable.
  • Ball refers to the tank hero Wrecking Ball, also known as Hammond.
  • Baptiste is the support hero equipped with a Biotic Launcher and Immortality Field.
  • Bash refers to Brigitte’s Shield Bash ability, which stuns enemies.
  • Bastion refers to the damage hero who can transform into a turret for sustained firepower.
  • Beam is a term for continuous stream weapons or abilities like Zarya’s Particle Cannon or Moira’s Coalescence.
  • Beat [Drop] means Lucio’s Sound Barrier ultimate, which gives temporary shields to nearby teammates.
  • Beyblade refers to the strategy of Nano Boosting Reaper during his Death Blossom ultimate for increased impact.
  • Blade is a shorthand for Genji’s Dragonblade ultimate, a melee attack that deals massive damage.
  • Bloo (Blue) refers to the player’s team, displayed in blue on the user interface.
  • Blossom means Reaper’s Death Blossom ultimate ability.
  • BMing refers to “Bad Manners,” such as taunting, spamming voice lines, or showing disrespect.
  • Bongo is a nickname for Orisa’s Supercharger ultimate, which boosts damage for teammates.
  • Boop means any knockback ability, such as Lucio’s Soundwave or Pharah’s Concussive Blast.
  • Boost/Boosted refers to being under the effect of a buff (e.g., Nano Boost) or jokingly accusing a player of having an inflated rank.
  • Boostio is a humorous term for using Nano Boost on Lucio, often accidentally.
  • Brawl refers to a close-range, high-sustain team composition or playstyle.
  • Brigitte is the support hero with a flail weapon, armor-granting abilities, and a defensive Shield Bash.
  • Bubble refers to barriers generated by Zarya or Winston to block damage and abilities.
  • Buff means an enhancement to a hero’s stats or abilities, often in game patches.
  • Bunker refers to a team composition built around strong defenses and long-range damage.
  • Bunny Blaster is the name of Baby D.Va’s Light Gun, used when she is outside her mech.

C

D

  • D.Va refers to the tank hero who pilots a mech with high mobility and defense.
  • D.Va Bomb means D.Va’s Self-Destruct ultimate, where she ejects and explodes her mech.
  • D/Def means defense or defending.
  • Damage/DPS refers to heroes or players focused on dealing damage to enemies.
  • Dash refers to mobility abilities like Genji’s Swift Strike.
  • Deathball refers to a team composition that focuses on sticking together for sustained pressure and healing.
  • Debuff refers to abilities or effects that weaken enemies, such as Ana’s Biotic Grenade.
  • Deep Strike means attacking far behind enemy lines to disrupt or eliminate key targets.
  • Diff refers to one player outperforming another on the same role (e.g., “Tank diff” means one tank outplayed the other).
  • Dig means pushing aggressively into the enemy’s area, often deep into their backline.
  • Dive refers to a playstyle or strategy where highly mobile heroes jump onto key targets.
  • Dive Comp means a team composition focused on high mobility and quick eliminations.
  • DM is shorthand for Defense Matrix, D.Va’s ability to block projectiles.
  • Doomfist refers to the damage or tank hero with high mobility and crowd control abilities.
  • DoT (Damage over Time) means abilities that deal damage in intervals rather than all at once (e.g., Ashe’s Dynamite).
  • Double Point refers to fighting across two objectives or control areas at once.
  • Dry Push refers to a team pushing without ultimates to bait enemy ultimates.

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E

  • Echo refers to the damage hero who can Duplicate enemies and use their abilities.
  • Edge Boost refers to gaining speed or mobility by using the edge of a map or object creatively.
  • Electric Cowboy means Cassidy with Nano Boost, using his Deadeye ultimate for massive damage.
  • Elim(ination) means defeating an enemy hero.
  • ELO Hell refers to being stuck in a perceived skill-rating range where progress feels impossible.
  • EZ is shorthand for “easy,” often used in a taunting or disrespectful manner.

F

  • Feed means dying unnecessarily, often by overextending or giving the enemy ult charge.
  • Fill refers to a player who plays whatever role is needed for the team.
  • Flank refers to attacking from an unexpected side or behind the enemy team.
  • Flash Fan means Cassidy’s combo of Flashbang followed by Fan the Hammer.
  • Flex refers to a player who can play multiple roles or heroes as needed.
  • Flux refers to Sigma’s Gravitic Flux ultimate, which lifts and slams enemies.
  • Flyer refers to airborne heroes like Pharah or Echo.
  • Focus means prioritizing a specific target or objective.
  • Force Draw means intentionally trying to end the match in a draw to deny the enemy a win.
  • Forcing 50 Percent refers to the belief that matchmaking forces players to maintain a 50% win rate.
  • Fox or Kitsune refers to Kiriko’s Kitsune Rush ultimate.
  • Frag means securing an elimination or kill.
  • Frontline refers to tanks or other heroes positioned at the forefront of a fight.
  • Full-Hold means preventing the attacking team from capturing any objectives.

G

  • GA refers to Guardian Angel, Mercy’s mobility ability that lets her fly toward allies.
  • Gamesense means a player’s ability to make smart decisions based on game knowledge, positioning, and timing.
  • General terms and concepts refer to overarching ideas and language commonly used across all heroes and playstyles in Overwatch.
  • Genji is a damage hero with high mobility and abilities like Swift Strike and Dragonblade.
  • GG means “Good Game,” a common term to show sportsmanship at the end of a match.
  • GL means “Good Luck,” often used at the start of a match.
  • GLHF means “Good Luck, Have Fun,” a phrase used to promote friendly competition.
  • Goats refers to the 3-3 team composition of tanks and supports that dominated the meta for a time.
  • Gold Medal Fallacy refers to the misconception that having gold medals in a match equates to playing well.
  • Gold or Golden refers to cosmetic gold weapon skins unlocked with competitive points or used to describe key objectives.
  • Grapple refers to abilities like Widowmaker’s Grappling Hook or Wrecking Ball’s Grappling Claw.
  • Grasp refers to Sigma’s Kinetic Grasp, which absorbs projectiles and converts them into shields.
  • Grav is short for Graviton Surge, Zarya’s ultimate ability that traps enemies in place.
  • Grip or Pull refers to abilities like Lifeweaver’s Life Grip, which pulls an ally to safety.

H

  • Hanzo is a damage hero who uses a bow and abilities like Storm Arrows and Dragonstrike.
  • Harass means constantly pressuring or distracting an enemy to reduce their effectiveness.
  • Hero stacking refers to having multiple players on the same hero, which is limited in most game modes.
  • Heroes refer to the playable characters in Overwatch, each with unique abilities and roles.
  • High Noon is shorthand for Cassidy’s Deadeye ultimate.
  • Hinder (Grenade) refers to Cassidy’s Magnetic Grenade ability, which disables and damages enemies.
  • Hitscan refers to weapons or abilities that instantly hit their target (e.g., Soldier: 76’s rifle).
  • Hook refers to Roadhog’s Chain Hook ability, which pulls enemies toward him.
  • HP means Health Points, the measure of a hero’s survivability.
  • HS or Headshot means landing a critical hit by aiming at an enemy’s head.

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I

  • Ice Block refers to Mei’s Cryo-Freeze ability, which heals her and makes her immune to damage.
  • Illari is a support hero with a healing turret and a powerful solar weapon.
  • Impact means the influence a player has on the outcome of a match.
  • Impact Frag refers to an elimination that significantly affects the flow of the game.
  • Instalocking means quickly selecting a hero at the start of a match, sometimes to prevent others from taking them.
  • Inting means intentionally feeding or making reckless plays that harm the team.

J

  • J-Silly is a playful nickname for Junkrat, often used by fans.
  • Juke refers to dodging or outmaneuvering enemies to avoid damage or abilities.
  • Junker Queen is a tank hero with melee-centric abilities and crowd control tools.
  • Junkrat is a damage hero known for his explosive abilities and traps.
  • Juno is a nickname for Junker Queen, used by some players.

K

  • Killing Blow refers to the final hit that eliminates an enemy hero.
  • King of the Hill refers to Control maps where teams fight to control a point.
  • Kiriko is a support hero with healing kunai, teleportation, and the Kitsune Rush ultimate.
  • Kit refers to the full set of abilities and weapons that define a hero’s gameplay.
  • Kite refers to retreating while dealing damage to keep enemies at a safe distance.
  • KotH is shorthand for “King of the Hill,” another term for Control maps.
  • KS means “Kill Steal,” where a player takes credit for an elimination started by someone else.

L

  • Lamp or Immortality refers to Baptiste’s Immortality Field, which prevents allies from dying.
  • Leap refers to mobility abilities like Winston’s Jump Pack.
  • Leaver refers to a player who disconnects or leaves the game prematurely.
  • Legacy competitive points refer to points earned in the original competitive system to unlock golden weapons.
  • Legendary edition refers to a special version of Overwatch that includes extra skins and content.
  • LFG means “Looking For Group,” used to find teammates.
  • Lifeweaver is a support hero with abilities to heal and reposition allies.
  • LoS or LOS (Line Of Sight) refers to the ability to see an ally or enemy to interact with them.
  • Lúcio is a support hero known for speed boosts, healing, and his Sound Barrier ultimate.

M

  • M1 refers to the primary fire button (usually the left mouse button).
  • M2 refers to the secondary fire button (usually the right mouse button).
  • Main means the primary hero or role a player prefers to play.
  • Main Tank refers to tank heroes who excel at leading and protecting the team (e.g., Reinhardt, Winston).
  • Map Out refers to strategizing based on the layout and objectives of the current map.
  • Maps and Gamemodes refer to the various environments and game objectives in Overwatch.
  • Mauga is an unreleased or rumored tank hero in the Overwatch universe.
  • Mega refers to large health packs that provide a significant amount of healing.
  • Mei is a damage hero with abilities to freeze and wall off enemies.
  • Mercy is a support female hero with healing, damage boost, and a resurrection ability.
  • Meta refers to the most effective strategies and team compositions at a given time.
  • MIA means “Missing In Action,” used to indicate an enemy’s unknown location.
  • Mid means mediocre or average performance, often used as slang.
  • Mit is short for mitigation, referring to damage blocked or absorbed.
  • MMR means Matchmaking Rating, which determines the skill level of players.
  • Moira is a support hero with healing and damage-dealing abilities.
  • Movement refers to a player’s ability to navigate maps and avoid enemy fire effectively.
  • MTD means “Main Tank Difference,” suggesting one main tank is performing better than the other.
  • Multikill refers to securing multiple eliminations in a short time frame.

N

  • Nade refers to Ana’s Biotic Grenade ability that boosts healing for allies and prevents healing for enemies.
  • Nano refers to Ana’s Nano Boost ultimate, which increases damage and reduces damage taken for an ally.
  • Nano(X) refers to Nano Boost combined with another ability or ultimate (e.g., Nano Blade for Genji).
  • Nerf means reducing the effectiveness of a hero, ability, or weapon in a patch update.
  • No + [ability name] indicates the ability is unavailable (e.g., “No Shield” means a tank’s shield is down).
  • Nope/To Nope means denying an enemy’s play or strategy effectively.
  • NS/Nice Shot is a compliment for a skilled or accurate shot.
  • NT means “Nice Try,” typically used to encourage teammates after a failed attempt.

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O

  • Objective refers to the primary map goals, such as capturing a point or escorting a payload.
  • Off angle refers to positioning away from the main group to attack from a different direction.
  • Off-Tank refers to tanks that provide support or utility rather than leading engagements (e.g., Zarya, D.Va).
  • One means an enemy is at very low health, often called out in voice chat.
  • One Clip refers to eliminating an enemy using a single magazine of ammunition.
  • One Life Rule refers to maintaining survival as long as possible without dying.
  • One Shot means an attack or combo that instantly eliminates an enemy.
  • One Trick (OTP) refers to a player who primarily plays one hero.
  • OP means “Overpowered,” referring to a hero or ability perceived as too strong.
  • Orisa is a tank hero with strong barriers, crowd control, and defensive tools.
  • Overextending means pushing too far from the team, making oneself vulnerable

P

  • Pantheon refers to the broader lore and hero pool of Overwatch.
  • Passive refers to abilities that provide ongoing benefits without activation.
  • Payload refers to the moving objective in Escort and Hybrid maps.
  • Peek refers to exposing yourself to the enemy to scout or attack.
  • Peel refers to protecting teammates, especially supports, from enemies.
  • Pepper means firing consistently at an enemy to apply pressure.
  • Pharah is a damage hero who excels at aerial attacks with a rocket launcher.
  • Pharmercy refers to the duo of Pharah and Mercy, with Mercy pocketing Pharah.
  • Pick refers to an elimination, often of a key enemy hero.
  • Pirate Ship/El Presidente refers to a strategy where Bastion is shielded on the payload to maximize damage output.
  • Pixie is a nickname for Mercy due to her floating and support playstyle.
  • Pocket refers to focusing healing or buffs on one specific teammate.
  • Point refers to the map’s control area or objective.
  • Poke refers to dealing long-range damage without committing to a fight.
  • Positions refer to optimal locations for heroes based on map and team strategy.
  • Primal refers to Winston’s Primal Rage ultimate.
  • Projectile refers to abilities or attacks that have travel time (e.g., Hanzo’s arrows).
  • PTR means “Public Test Region,” where new updates and heroes are tested.
  • PUG means “Pick-Up Game,” referring to informal, non-competitive matches.
  • Pull refers to abilities like Orisa’s Halt or Lifeweaver’s Life Grip.
  • Purple means being affected by Ana’s Biotic Grenade, preventing healing.
  • Push refers to the game mode where teams fight to push a robot toward the enemy’s spawn.

R

  • Rail(ed) refers to Sojourn’s charged railgun shots.
  • Ramattra is a tank hero with abilities that alternate between defense and offense.
  • Random/Rando refers to a player or teammate chosen by matchmaking.
  • Re is shorthand for “regroup” or “reset.”
  • Reaper is a damage hero with close-range, high-damage shotguns and self-healing.
  • Reinhardt is a tank hero with a large shield and a powerful melee hammer.
  • Res(urrection) refers to Mercy’s ability to revive a fallen teammate.
  • Reset means intentionally dying or retreating to regroup with the team.
  • Reveal refers to abilities that expose enemy locations (e.g., Widowmaker’s Infra-Sight).
  • RG refers to “Random Group,” another term for non-premade teammates.
  • Roadhog is a tank hero known for his self-healing and Chain Hook.
  • Rock refers to Sigma’s Accretion ability, which throws a rock to stun enemies.

S

  • Sentry refers to Bastion’s turret form.
  • Shatter refers to Reinhardt’s Earthshatter ultimate.
  • Shift refers to a hero ability bound to the Shift key on PC.
  • Shout refers to Junker Queen’s Commanding Shout ability.
  • Sig9 refers to losing the objective because no one stays on it, often involving Sigma.
  • Sigma is a tank hero with a barrier, Accretion, and Gravitic Flux.
  • Skill Cap refers to the potential mastery ceiling of a hero.
  • Skill Orb refers to Moira’s Biotic Orb, often sarcastically.
  • Slam refers to Wrecking Ball’s Piledriver or Doomfist’s Seismic Slam abilities.
  • Sleep refers to Ana’s Sleep Dart ability, which incapacitates enemies.
  • Smurf refers to a high-skill player using a low-ranked account.
  • Sojourn is a damage hero with a railgun and high mobility.
  • Soldier: 76 is a damage hero with a hitscan rifle and self-healing.
  • Solo Kill refers to eliminating an enemy without assistance.
  • Solo Queue means playing without a premade team.
  • Solo Ult refers to using an ultimate to eliminate a single target.
  • Sonic or Sonar refers to Hanzo’s Sonic Arrow ability, which reveals enemies.
  • Space Jam refers to a combo of Sigma’s Gravitic Flux with high-damage ultimates.
  • Spam refers to repeatedly firing at choke points or grouped enemies.
  • Spawn Camping means holding the enemy team in their spawn area.
  • Squishy refers to heroes with low health and high vulnerability.
  • SR (Skill Rating) refers to a player’s competitive rank.
  • Stagger means delaying eliminations of enemy players to disrupt their regrouping.
  • Stall refers to delaying the enemy’s progress by contesting the objective.
  • Stealth refers to Sombra’s Invisibility ability.Super Jump refers to an advanced movement technique with Mercy.Support refers to heroes whose primary role is healing and utility.
  • Symmetra is a damage hero with turrets and teleportation abilities.

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T

  • Tank refers to heroes who protect the team and absorb damage.
  • Taxi refers to a support escorting teammates back from spawn quickly (e.g., Lucio’s Speed Boost).
  • Teabagging/T-Bag refers to crouching repeatedly over a defeated enemy as a taunt.
  • Tick refers to incremental progress or actions (e.g., objective ticks or damage ticks).
  • Torbjörn is a damage hero with a deployable turret and armor packs.
  • Touch refers to contesting the objective to prevent the enemy from capturing.
  • Tracer is a damage hero with high mobility and burst damage.
  • Trance refers to Zenyatta’s Transcendence ultimate.
  • Trap refers to Junkrat’s Steel Trap ability.
  • Tree refers to Lifeweaver’s Tree of Life ultimate.
  • Triple Buffering refers to a graphics setting in Overwatch (and other games) that uses an additional frame buffer to improve visual performance. It reduces input lag and screen tearing compared to double buffering, providing smoother gameplay, especially when the game’s frame rate fluctuates.
  • Triple Tank refers to a composition with three tank heroes.

U

  • Ult refers to a hero’s ultimate ability.
  • UP means “Underpowered,” referring to a hero perceived as too weak.

W

  • Wall refers to Mei’s Ice Wall or Symmetra’s Photon Barrier.
  • Wide Match refers to an Overwatch game where there is a significant skill disparity between players on opposing teams or within the same team. This can happen due to matchmaking issues, often resulting in an uneven and frustrating gameplay experience for one side.
  • Window refers to Baptiste’s Amplification Matrix ultimate.
  • Winston is a tank hero with high mobility and area control.
  • Wipe means eliminating the entire enemy team.
  • Wombo Combo refers to a coordinated use of multiple ultimates for maximum effect.

Z

  • Zarya is a tank hero with barriers and high-damage particle beams.
  • Zenyatta is a support hero with damage-dealing orbs and healing abilities.
  • Zoning refers to using abilities or presence to control enemy.

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