Support is the role of a player who takes on tasks that are less flashy but critically important for winning: healing and buffing allies, setting up obstacles for opponents, controlling the map, buying items for the team, or providing information. Unlike the carry (a player meant to deal the main damage and win the game in the late stages), a support rarely racks up the most kills, but without their work the team quickly loses control of the match.
The word itself comes from the English "support." The term is used in virtually all team-based games, but it became especially firmly established in the MOBA genre, such as Dota 2 and League of Legends, where the support role is formalized and represents a distinct position in a team's draft.
How it works in different games
In Dota 2, supports are divided into positions — usually the fourth and fifth slots on a team. They buy wards (items for map vision) and healing items, sacrificing their own farm so that carries get the resources instead. A good support knows how to place a smoke (a smoke screen for covert movement) at the right moment, save an ally with a heal, or make a decisive pick — a combination of items and actions that turns the tide of a fight.
In shooters like CS2, the concept of a support is less formalized, but it still exists: this is what they call a player who helps the team's main force — throwing utility (grenades, smokes, flashbangs), covering a teammate during a site execute, sacrificing their own position for the team's result.
Why the role matters
A support often stays in the shadow of the statistics: fewer frags, less damage, but greater influence on the outcome of a round or team fight that isn't always visible in the numbers. Experienced analysts and commentators pay particular attention to the work of supports, because it reveals a team's playing culture: how willing players are to sacrifice their personal performance for the sake of overall victory.
In everyday use, the word is applied more broadly as well — "play on support," "take the support role," "this is a purely support item" — describing any actions or items aimed at helping the team rather than boosting personal results.