Nerf

American  

[nurf] / nɜrf /

Trademark.

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

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verb (used with object)

1. (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

While children’s toys will remain an important part of its business, the maker of Play-Doh and Nerf plans to direct the majority of its investment toward older fans.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 19, 2026

While we wait for the next tram, Ruby tells me about her part-time job at a centre for group Nerf games.

From BBC • Jun. 12, 2024

But though it was tempting to attribute it to learning a new form of meditation that involved dancing and slamming Nerf bats against the floor, I don’t think that was it.

From Slate • Aug. 4, 2023

On Saturday, he was a swirling mass of arms around the rim, spiking away Half Moon Bay layups like a cruel dad playing Nerf hoops against a 3-year-old son.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2023

Leo had never met Chiron’s crazy centaur relatives, but he’d heard rumors of Nerf sword-fights, root beer-chugging contests, and Super Soakers filled with pressurized whipped cream.

From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan