To make worse or weaken, usually in the context of weakening something in order to balance out a game.

To weaken or make less dangerous. Taken from the "Nerf" brand name, which makes sports equipment toys out of a soft foam (e.g., the Nerf football is soft foam rather than the hard leather of a real football). Used frequently in the context of computer game balance changes.

To diminish the power or effectiveness of...
To make less potent.

Originally, this was a product line of foam based toys for children. It was adopted by the online gaming community to refer to the reduction in power of a game feature for the sake of balance.

This term is now seeing more widespread generic usage, usually in reference to mechanical devices, or personal powers within a business framework.

antonyms: Buff(v), Spike(v)

Usually in first person shooters and RPGs, when game developers think a weapon is far too powerful, and threatens the stability of the game, and weakens the aspects of that power drmatically to rebalance it.

Nerfs are grumpy, antlered herbivores, resembling yaks, raised on many planets, including Alderaan, Gestron and Corellia, for their milk and meat. Herders of the beasts are well known for being as scruffy looking and surly as their livestock, and to be called a "nerf herder" (as Han Solo is by Princess Leia) is considered a strong insult.

The term "nerf" comes from the online gaming world of Ultima Online.

At one point in the game, the developers reduced the power of swords in melee combat.

This resulted in players complaining that it was like they were hitting each other with nerf bats, not swords.

From then on, if ever something gets made less worth while than it had been originally, it has been considered a 'nerf'.

Nerf is an anagram for non-expandable recreational foam, used in things like stress toys and as projectiles of some toy guns, great for firing at people around the office, although I would recommend that you work in a relaxed working environment first, as a stray foam projectile in your bosses coffe could lead to your dismissal.

This can also be used to describe a shot in a game that caused little harm (as with the foam projectiles).