Nerf

American

[nurf] / nɜrf /

Trademark.

a brand name for various toys modeled especially on sports equipment but made of foam rubber or other soft substances.

verb (used with object)

(lowercase) (in a video game) to reconfigure (an existing character or weapon), making it less powerful.

The game development team nerfed several guns in the recent update.

Example Sentences

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See Examples For:

Nerf

The maker of Play-Doh and Nerf now expects revenue to be up 7% to 9% for the year in constant currency, up from a prior outlook of up 5% to 7%.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026

He was part of the Caltech Christian Fellowship and Nerf Club, according to his profile.

From Barron's ● Apr. 26, 2026

A mother says her 13-year-old son is "still in shock" and "struggling to sleep" after armed police confronted him and a friend while they played with a Nerf gun in a park.

From BBC ● Jan. 29, 2025

She recalled a basement Nerf basketball game with Colin that got overheated.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 6, 2024

Earlier in the day Dorothy had seen the unflattenable Nerf ball in the street and had retrieved it.

From "Wringer" by Jerry Spinelli

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023