Definitions
Wiktionary
- v. auto racing To bump lightly, whether accidentally or purposefully.
- v. slang to water down, dumb down or especially weaken, particularly in video games.
Etymologies
- From automobile racing; to bump another car (ca. 1950's?). From NERF® ("non-expanding recreational foam"), a range of toys made of soft foam, ineffective as actual weapons (1969). (Wiktionary)
Examples
“| Reply thats comedy. nerf is the best for little kids”
“Hasbro Inc. recalls nerf blasters by MT Bureau - October 11, 2008 - 0 comments”
“Would it have been corporal punishment if the principal used a "nerf" foam paddle on this kid?”
Teen Suspended, Not Expelled, For Shooting Nerf Gun In School
“I do wonder if I'll have pressure to "nerf" my new protagonist because she has such an inherent disdain for people -- for humans -- as being incredible drags on the planet.”
“Anyways, the typical answer to problems of envy (which manifest themselves as people complaining about fairness) is to "nerf" (i.e., make weaker) the most powerful characters.”
Are people “naturally” libertarian (in the virtual world)? - The Austrian Economists
“It is much easier to just hastily "nerf" and then sort out the results afterward.”
“But of course, this contribution to the game's discourse was immediately deconstructed by the playerbase, whose calls of "nerf" to soften, weaken - as in a nerf football laid bare the tensions between the hegemonic program of the coders and the democratic, and yet ironically and contradictorily self-devouring, passions of the players.”
“If any one turns out to be dominant, the onus is on Blizzard, the maker of the games, to "nerf" (i.e., worsen) the offending element in the next update.”
“One looks like it could be considered a "nerf" to difficulty, while the other looks like it will add a bit more challenge to the 25-player version.”
“Devouring Plague was doing roughly 110 damage per tick more than on live realms, after this 'nerf' to the base damage.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘nerf’.
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Fictional beasties
elf, gnome, dwarf, sprite, troll, fairy, nymph, imp, brownie, sasquatch, yeti, wookiee and 574 more...
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Gaw
Words for things both tangible and anthropic. I'm in the process of spinning off hardware into ute, and people into oofy.
cum-twang, naumachia, yngling, juggernaught, bliss ninny, iliac crest, moistened bint, slumlord, spondoolies, classy lady, charnel house, electrodoméstico and 334 more...
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Pleasing to the Ear
swashbuckle, nerf, enunciate, ambivalent, perambulist, curmudgeon, longitude, coagulate, saskatchewan, wood, faggot, dodongo and 33 more...
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Riboflavin's Words
aquavit, chicken, neuromancer, tits, cephalopod, riboflavin, fuck, mind banana, tasteflex, balrog, cropsy, pod and 45 more...
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sarahkoz's Words
haberdashery, salmon, hat, potato, walnut, portcullis, zagnut, gonzo, gargantuan, wiffle, nerf, kink and 1 more...
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Words that make my stomach turn:
loaf, chunk, moist, heft, poodle, curb, scab, mucus, panties, giblets, luncheon, hunk and 54 more...
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Don't Toy With Me
Highlighting the best toy names ever.
nerf, gak, smud, floam, weebles, ack ack, wee waffle, pogs, tiddlywinks, magna doodle, jacks, slinky and 5 more...
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mcbaine's Words
surficant, vicissitude, erinaceous, battousai, himura, wang, pedagogical, pedantic, immure, tertiary, tetrahedron, widget and 104 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for nerf.
fbharjo surf the nerf!
Feb 2, 2013
reesetee Fun to throw when soaking wet.
The nerf, that is. ;-) Oct 15, 2007
colleen Unrelated to nerf herder, one of the greatest insults in the galaxy. Oct 15, 2007
yarb I love my nerf ball. Oct 15, 2007
sarahkoz "Something that has been dumbed down to the point where it's completely useless." Jan 14, 2007