Lacrosse Terms

It can be very difficult to understand lacrosse if you don't know the proper lacrosse terms.

There are a million different terms that people use, and if you want to play lacrosse, you should know them. Submit any term you don't already see listed in our Lacrosse Dictionary below.

Submit a Lacrosse Term
Please note that all fields followed by an asterisk must be filled in.
First Name* First Name*
E-mail Address* E-mail Address*
Country* Country*
Term Name* Term Name*
Definition of term you want submitted* Definition of term you want submitted*
Please enter the word that you see below.

Lacrosse Dictionary

Body Check: Contact with an opponent from the front - between the shoulders and waist - when the opponent has the ball or is within five yards of a loose ball.

Box: An area in the offensive zone. The ball cannot be out of the box for longer than 10 seconds.

Check-up: A call given by the goalie to tell each defender to find his man and call out his number.

Clamp: A face-off maneuver executed by quickly pushing the back of the stick on top of the ball.

Clearing: This lacrosse terms is running or passing the ball from the defensive half of the field to the attack goal area.

Crease: A circle around the goal with a radius of nine feet into which only defensive players may enter.

Crosse (Stick): The equipment used to throw, catch and carry the ball.

Defensive Clearing Area: The area defined by a line drawn sideline to sideline 20 yards from the face of the goal. Once the defensive team gains possession of the ball in this area, it has ten seconds to move the ball across the midfield line.

Extra man Offense (EMO): A man advantage that results from a time-serving penalty.

Face-Off: This lacrosse term is a technique used to put the ball in play at the start of each quarter, or after a goal is scored. The players squat down and the ball is placed between their crosses.

Fast-Break: A transition scoring opportunity in which the offense has at least a one-man advantage.

Ground Ball: A loose ball on the playing field.

Head: The plastic part of the stick connected to the handle.

Man Down: The situation that results from a time-serving penalty which causes the defense to play with at least a one man disadvantage.

Midfield Line: The line which bisects the field of play.

On-The-Fly Sub: A substitution made during play.

Pick: An offensive maneuver in which a stationary player attempts to block the path of a defender guarding another offensive player.

Pocket: The strung part of the head of the stick which holds the ball.

Rake: A face-off move in which a player sweeps the ball to the side.

Ride: Trying to prevent a team from clearing the ball.

Release: The term used by an official to notify a penalized player in the box that he may re-enter the game.

Shaft: This lacrosse term is an aluminum, wooden or composite pole connected to the head of the crosse.