nerf

What does nerf mean?

1. 1.

   Weaken (gaming): To make a character, weapon, item or strategy less powerful, usually through a developer's balance patch: "they nerfed the sniper." Also nerfed, as an adjective.

2. 2.

   A weakening: As a noun, the change itself: "the Akali nerf," "the sword got a big nerf this patch."

3. 3.

   Make anything worse: Outside games, to weaken or limit anything: a phone plan, a perk, a policy. "My data plan got nerfed."

4. 4.

   Not the toy, not racing: Nerf is also Hasbro's foam-toy brand, the source of the slang. Motor racing has an unrelated older nerf, a light bump between cars.

Where did nerf come from?

More sources: Coined: How 'nerf' and 'buff' became the terms gamers can't stop arguing about - Inverse · nerf - Dictionary.com · What is nerfing in video games? - How-To Geek · Nerf - Wikipedia

How to use nerf in a sentence

Slang related to nerf

Questions about nerf

What does nerf mean in gaming?

To make something weaker, usually in a patch. A nerfed weapon does less damage, and a nerfed character has less power. The opposite is a buff.

What's the difference between a nerf and a buff?

A nerf weakens something. A buff strengthens it. Developers use both to balance a game, and patch notes are mostly lists of each.

Where does the word nerf come from?

From Nerf foam toys. It took hold in Ultima Online in the late 1990s, when weakened swords felt like hitting each other with foam.

What does nerf mean outside of games?

To weaken or limit anything: a phone plan that throttles your data, a perk a company cuts, a feature an update takes away.

Why do game developers nerf things?

To keep the game fair and fun. When one weapon, character or strategy wins too often, everyone copies it, so the developers weaken it to open up other options.

Is nerf a real word?

Yes. Dictionaries now list the lowercase verb nerf, meaning to make something less powerful in a video game, alongside the Nerf toy brand.