Slang dictionary · List
Gaming slang, decoded
The vocabulary of Fortnite, Roblox and Minecraft lobbies, much of which has escaped into school and the group chat. 20 terms. Updated 2 November 2026.
The short answer
The AlphaBetaMinds slang dictionary holds 20 terms from gaming, including afk, buff and carried. Each links to a page with its meaning, origin and a rating of whether an adult can use it.
| Term | In brief | Type | Rating for adults | Run |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| afk | away from keyboard — not paying attention | Abbreviation | Safe | 2000–2026 |
| buff | to make something stronger | Verb | Safe | 2012–2026 |
| carried | won because someone else did the work | Verb | Safe | 2016–2026 |
| clutch | winning from a losing position at the last moment | Adjective | Safe | 2015–2026 |
| cracked | extremely good at a game | Adjective | Safe | 2019–2026 |
| diff | a gap in skill between two people | Noun | Safe | 2020–2026 |
| get good | improve instead of complaining | Phrase | Careful | 2014–2026 |
| gg | good game — said at the end, or sarcastically… | Abbreviation | Safe | 2005–2026 |
| grinding | doing something repetitive to make slow progress | Verb | Safe | 2014–2026 |
| lobby | a group of people in a shared online space | Noun | Safe | 2015–2026 |
| meta | the current best strategy everyone is using | Noun | Safe | 2014–2026 |
| nerf | to make something weaker | Verb | Safe | 2010–2026 |
| one shot | to beat something in a single attempt | Verb | Safe | 2018–2026 |
| respawn | to come back after being knocked out | Verb | Safe | 2016–2026 |
| skill issue | the problem is you, not the game | Phrase | Careful | 2021–2026 |
| smurf | a strong player pretending to be a beginner | Noun | Safe | 2010–2026 |
| speedrun | doing something as fast as possible | Noun | Safe | 2016–2026 |
| sweat | someone who takes a game far too seriously | Noun | Safe | 2019–2026 |
| throwing | losing on purpose, or playing badly enough to lose | Verb | Safe | 2017–2026 |
| tryhard | someone visibly trying too hard to win | Noun | Safe | 2012–2026 |