nerf

See also: NeRF

English

English Wikipedia has an article on:

NERF

Wikipedia

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /nɜːf/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /nɝf/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)f

Etymology 1

Circa 1950s? (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Verb

nerf (third-person singular simple present nerfs, present participle nerfing, simple past and past participle nerfed)

1. (motor racing, transitive) To bump lightly, whether accidentally or purposefully.

   A racer will often nerf another as a psychological tactic.

   • 1953, Henry Gregor Felsen, Street Rod, Random House, page 129:

     "The crazy fool!" Ricky exclaimed. "Nerfing me!"

Derived terms

• nerf bar
• nerf ball
• nerf net

Etymology 2

From the Nerf brand of toys designed as non-dangerous counterparts of existing things, such as sports balls and guns. Originally used to equate a change in the damage of a weapon in a video game to a change from real weapons to Nerf weapons.

Verb

nerf (third-person singular simple present nerfs, present participle nerfing, simple past and past participle nerfed)

2. (transitive, slang, video games) To change a mechanic, an ability or a character in a video game in order to make less efficacious.

   Synonym: gimp

   The lightning spell was originally pretty powerful, but in the sequel they nerfed it so it became completely useless.

4. (transitive, slang) To arbitrarily limit or reduce the capability of.
   • 2019 May 17, Fred Lambert, Electrek‎, retrieved 19 May 2019:

     Tesla nerfs Autopilot in Europe due to new regulations

Synonyms

• debuff, worsen, deteriorate, cripple, declaw, defang, degenerate

Antonyms

• ameliorate, buff (game slang), improve, renew, renovate, revamp

Derived terms

• stealth nerf

Translations

to arbitrarily limit or reduce one's capacity

French: nerfer (fr) German: nerfen Italian: nerfare Japanese: ナーフ (nāfu) Portuguese: nerfar (pt) Russian: не́рфить impf (nérfitʹ), поне́рфить pf (ponérfitʹ) Sicilian: nirfari Spanish: nerfear (es), debilitar (es), menguar (es), reducir (es) Turkish: nerflemek

Noun

nerf (plural nerfs)

2. (slang, video games) The deterioration, weakening or worsening of a character, a weapon, a spell, etc.

Anagrams

• Fern, fern, fren, fren'