Smoke (short for "smoke grenade") is one of the core grenades in Counter-Strike, alongside the flashbang (blinding grenade) and molotov (incendiary grenade). When thrown, it creates a dense cloud of smoke that lasts for a limited time and completely blocks vision — through it, you can't see enemies, teammates, or even your crosshair.
Smokes are used for two opposite purposes: to hide your own movement from the enemy or, conversely, to block the enemy's view of a key spot. For example, a team might "smoke off" a window or a narrow passage to move through it without risking getting shot by a player holding that angle. The attacking side often places smokes at entrances before planting the bomb, while the defending side uses them to cover a retreat or split the enemy's attention.
How it works in the game
The grenade's trajectory and landing spot matter — they determine whether the smoke will fully cover the intended area or leave gaps. That's why teams have memorized throw positions for smokes — these are called "smoke lineups" (line-up — a pre-calculated throw trajectory). Such setups are practiced in advance because there's no time to experiment during an actual round.
Smokes are also used to deceive the opponent: if smoke is sitting in one spot, a player might assume enemies are hiding there and waste time or grenades for nothing. A smoke can be dispersed early by a shot from certain weapons or an explosion from a nearby grenade, which opens up a temporary window of visibility through the cloud.
Where the term comes from
The word comes from the English name of the item — smoke grenade. In the Russian-speaking community, the shortened form "smok" (смок) took hold and is used both as a noun ("poставил смок" — "placed a smoke") and as a slang verb ("засмокить угол" — "to smoke off a corner", "смокнуть проход" — "to smoke a passage"). The term has become so entrenched that it has effectively become the technical name for the item in players' conversations, on par with the official one.