Last-hitting an allied unit to reduce the enemy’s rewards is called denying.
To deny, a player delivers the killing blow to an allied unit or structure under circumstances that allow it. The action prevents the opposing team from receiving the full benefit they would normally gain from that unit, especially experience. Denying therefore turns a last hit into a way of limiting the opponent’s progress.
The mechanic is central to Dota 2’s lane strategy. Players compete not only to last-hit enemy creeps for gold, but also to deny allied creeps and reduce the enemy’s access to experience. Timing, lane control, and creep health all matter when attempting a deny.
Denying is different from pulling, stacking, or farming. Pulling moves neutral creeps toward a lane, stacking increases the number of neutral creeps in a camp, and farming means accumulating resources by killing units. Denying specifically describes taking an allied unit’s last hit.