derp

noun

ˈdərp 

plural derps

informal

1

sometimes offensive; see usage paragraph below : a person or animal that is awkward, stupid, or foolish : doofus

I took up kayaking—which did become a contact sport. … One morning … a derp my age with a mullet hairdo rowed their scull right into my kayak.

—Amy Sieracki

Sometimes I feel guilty about binging videos of animal fails and doggos being derps. Isn't there something more productive I could do?

—Chris Rogers

… based on this writer's anecdotal experience with a foster pup, life is markedly improved with one around. Why, here she is now, to brighten your day with her goofy derp face.

—Matthew Hart

2

: an act or instance of stupidity, foolishness, or nonsense

Well, the marketing of crypto has been brilliant, with many small investors in particular still being sucked in by the combination of technobabble and libertarian derp.

—Paul Krugman

Defense was often brilliant, but also, there was enough derp to make you feel like it was still challenging for the fielders.

—Todd Golden

—often used interjectionally to indicate that a comment or action is foolish or stupid

There could be good arguments against this research, but, "derp, you can't double 60%" is not … any of them.

—Joe Patrice

"Have you read books with kissing before?" "Like, derp," she said, with that "Valley Girl" tone I recalled from my own tween days.

—Kathy Kaufield

Usage of Derp

While sense 1 of derp may be used affectionately, especially of animals, it is offensive when it implies or suggests that someone has a physical or intellectual disability.

Word History

Etymology

as interjection probably extension of duh or the British equivalent der; as noun probably derivative of the interjection

Note: Medial \ər\ is to some degree sound-symbolic; compare jerk entry 1, twerp and nerd, all similar in sense. First use of the interjection has been traced to a scene in the film BASEketball (1998), directed by David Zucker and written by Zucker, Robert LoCash, Jeff Wright, and Lewis Friedman. The film stars Trey Parker and Matt Stone, creators of the animated television series South Park. Matt Stone's character utters the word after being caught in an embarrassing situation ("Aww! Aww! Aww! Aww!…Oh, Jeez. Derp!"). For further early uses, see Benjamin Zimmer and Charles E. Carson, "Among the New Words," American Speech, vol. 86, no. 4 (Winter 2011), pp.461-63. A possible antedating (1997) is noted on the American Dialect Society email list for August 28, 2013.

First Known Use

2003, in the meaning defined at sense 1