Nerf

Soft toy blasters

Nerf is a brand of toys made from soft foam, best known for foam-tipped darts and blasters that allow indoor play without serious injury: The kids had a Nerf battle in the living room.

The brand name has become shorthand for foam weaponry generally. (Lowercase nerf is gaming slang meaning to weaken.)

brand

Hasbro

American toy conglomerate

reload · magazine · pump-action · trigger · barrel · scope · attachment · mod · customization · stock

play

toy

Object for amusement

backyard · tag · target · war · party · birthday · games · pretend · imagination · fun

material

foam

Bubble-filled substance

lightweight · soft · flexible · spongy · padding · durable · cellular · springy · compressible · bouncy

safety

harmless

Causing no injury

padded · impact-resistant · age-appropriate · protective · innocuous · controlled · supervised · rules · goggles · distance

Categories
Opposites
lethality/danger

Nerffirearm

Projectile weapon using explosives

gun · rifle · pistol · live ammunition · assault rifle

gaming: power adjustment

Nerfbuff

Avid fan; also burnish

boost · power up · enhance · strengthen · upgrade

material softness

Nerfmetal

Hard conductive solid

steel · wood · concrete · rigid · solid

Phrases
Family

nerfs, nerfed, nerfing

Familiarity
Top 200,000
Profile
Known to kids · Timeless · Concrete · Positive · Everyday, not technical · Rated G