zerg

Z10E1R1G2
/zɜː(ɹ)ɡ/

verb

To attack an opponent with a large swarm of low-level units before they have been able to build sufficient defences.

UncommonScrabble 14

Meanings

verbzerg (third-person singular simple present zergs, present participle zerging, simple past and past participle zerged)

present singular third person zergs · participle present zerging · participle past zerged · past zerged

  1. datedslangstrategy gamesvideo gamesTo attack an opponent with a large swarm of low-level units before they have been able to build sufficient defences.

    No one ever did D (or just 3-4 people tried), we just zerged, and we would lose every single AV.

    2008, neithskye, “AV after the last changes...”, in alt.games.warcraft (Usenet)
    2 more examples

    You can't win with small, balanced groups. You have to zerg the mob with a high number of players. They don't have to zerg lower tier encounters just like the lowest tier guilds doesn't have to zerg orc camp 1 in EC. But, at the top end, it's still zerg tactics.

    2002, Wolfie, “Re: Whoa - massive changes due in next patch”, in alt.games.everquest (Usenet)

    The scale and lack of focused content doesn't facilitate this grouping as well as some other games. The good side of that is you don't get the "wonderful" experience of zerging around DF with everyone else waiting for something to spawn.

    2003, George, “Finding groups to mission/hunt/other experience with”, in alt.games.starwarsgalaxies (Usenet)

    Synonyms: cheese, rush

nounzerg (plural zergs)

plural zergs

  1. datedslangvideo gamesA very large group of units or players.

    Synonyms: blob

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo attack an opponent with a large swarm of low-level units before they have been able to build sufficient defences.

Similar

nounA very large group of units or players.

Similar
Also see

Origin

From the game StarCraft (1998), in which the easily mass-produced Zerg units encourage such a strategy.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin (蟲海)淹 /(虫海)淹
  • (蟲海)淹 /(虫海)淹To attack an opponent with a large swarm of units before they have been able to build sufficient defences
Finnish zergata
  • zergataTo attack an opponent with a large swarm of units before they have been able to build sufficient defences
French zerguer, zergler
  • zerguerTo attack an opponent with a large swarm of units before they have been able to build sufficient defences
  • zerglerTo attack an opponent with a large swarm of units before they have been able to build sufficient defences
German zergen
  • zergenTo attack an opponent with a large swarm of units before they have been able to build sufficient defences

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with zerg

All rhymes →

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

zerg. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/zerg

MLA

“zerg.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/zerg. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “zerg,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/zerg.

Source: zerg on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.