Nerf Definition & Meaning

American

Examples

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.

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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

He had basketball hoops everywhere, including Nerf hoops in the doorways.

From Los Angeles Times

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

From BBC

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

From Seattle Times

Behind the scenes, Zoro’s mouth katana had a lightweight handle and a thin wire tipped with a blue Nerf foam bullet.

From Los Angeles Times

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.